Pulicaria undulata Extract-Mediated Eco-Friendly Preparation of TiO2 Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue and Methyl Orange
Nanomaterials
Eco-friendly approaches for the preparation of nanomaterials have recently attracted considerable attention of
scientific community due to rising environmental distresses. The aim of the current study is to prepare titanium dioxide (TiO2)
nanoparticles (NPs) using an eco-friendly approach and investigate their performance for the photocatalytic degradation of
hazardous organic dyes. For this, TiO2 NPs were prepared by using the aqueous extract of the Pulicaria undulata (L.) plant in a
single step at room temperature. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy established the presence of both titanium and oxygen in the
sample. X-ray diffraction revealed the formation of crystalline, anatase-phase TiO2 NPs. On the other hand, transmission election
microscopy confirmed the formation of spherical shaped NPs. The presence of residual phytomolecules as capping/stabilization
agents is confirmed by UV−vis analysis and Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy. Indeed, in the presence of P. undulata, the
anatase phase of TiO2 is stabilized at a significantly lower temperature (100 °C) without using any external stabilizing agent. The
green synthesized TiO2 NPs were used to investigate their potential for the photocatalytic degradation of hazardous organic dyes
including methylene blue and methyl orange under UV−visible light irradiation. Due to the small size and high dispersion of NPs,
almost complete degradation (∼95%) was achieved in a short period of time (between 1 and 2 h). No significant difference in the
photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 NPs was observed even after repeated use (three times) of the photocatalyst. Overall, the green
synthesized TiO2 NPs exhibited considerable potential for fast and eco-friendly removal of harmful organic dyes.
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Eco-friendly approaches for the preparation of nanomaterials have recently attracted considerable attention of
scientific community due to rising environmental distresses. The aim of the…