Synthesis, Characterization and Efficiency of HAp-TiO2-ZnO Composite as a Promising Photocatalytic Material

ABSTRACTABSTRACTWe, for the first time report the development of a hybrid photocatalyst, HAp-TiO2-ZnO by co-integrating TiO2 and ZnO into host material hydroxyapatite (HAp). High temperature calcination of the ingredients, e.g. eggshell, (NH4)2HPO4, TiO2 and ZnO, led to the formation of the desired photocatalyst. The synthesized composite was characterized by different techniques, e.g. thermogravimetric analyzer, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and UV-visible spectrophotometer. The photocatalytic activity of the composite was examined through the degradation of both cationic and anionic dye, i.e. methylene blue and methyl orange, respectively. Observed time dependent photo-degradation profiles were fairly supportive towards its promising application as composite photocatalyst.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTKeywords: CompositePhotocatalystHydroxyapatiteCalcinationX-ray diffractometer