Design of various pure and heterostructured semiconductor nanomaterials for wastewater treatment

Abstract

quot newlineThis thesis, entitled Design of Various Pure and Heterostructured Semiconductor Nanomaterials for Wastewater Treatment, explores sustainable and innovative strategies for synthesizing semiconductor nanomaterials aimed at mitigating water pollution. The research focuses on designing pure and heterostructured nanoparticles and applying them to remove heavy metals and degrade toxic dyes from contaminated water. Chapters 2 to 5 detail the synthesis and characterization of various catalysts using spectroscopic (UV-DRS, FTIR, PL-TCSPC, Raman), structural (XRD, HR-TEM, FE-SEM, EDS, TGA, XPS, BET, VSM, ICP-AES), and electrochemical (Mott-Schottky) techniques. newlineChapter 1 introduces the behavior of semiconductor materials at the nanoscale and their relevance in wastewater treatment. It outlines three structural types pure, doped, and heterojunction and discusses two synthetic approaches: recycling iron ore tailings for lanthanide-doped Feand#8323;Oand#8324; and a microreactor-based continuous flow method for SnOand#8322;, CdS, and SnOand#8322;-CdS. newlineChapter 2 investigates mesoporous Coand#8323;Oand#8324; nanoparticles for Cr(VI) reduction, highlighting the influence of calcination temperature on morphology and adsorption efficiency (~93%). newlineChapter 3 presents Ce,Tb-codoped carbon-coated Feand#8323;Oand#8324; nanocrystals derived from mining waste, achieving ~98% Rhodamine B degradation under visible light and offering potential in biomedical applications. newlineChapter 4 compares batch and microreactor-synthesized SnOand#8322; nanoparticles, demonstrating superior photocatalytic performance of micro-SnOand#8322; in methylene blue degradation due to enhanced surface properties. newlineChapter 5 details SnOand#8322;-CdS heterojunctions synthesized via microreactor, showing improved Congo Red degradation and efficient charge separation, supported by Mott-Schottky and DRS analyses. newlineOverall, the thesis contributes to sustainable nanomaterial design for effective wastewater treatment. newline newlinequot newline newline