STRUCTURE, OPTICAL AND PHOTOCATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF ZNO/CUO/BENTONITE NANOCOMPOSITES IN THE OXIDATION OF 2,6-DICHLOROPHENOL

Abstract

ZnO/CuO/bentonite (Bent) ternary nanocomposites were obtained by coprecipitation and characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The SEM images indicate that the ZnO/CuO/Bent nanocomposites consist of ZnO nanorods and spherical CuO particles. The highest photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of 2,6-dichlorophenol (DCP) was found for the Zn(8)Cu(1)Bent nanocomposite. The trapping method was used to study the intermediates formed during the photoreaction. The major oxidizing agents of DCP are photogenerated h(+) valence band holes and radicals. The stable intermediates formed in the photochemical oxidation of DCP were characterized using high-resolution mass spectrometry.