Mesoporous CuO Prepared in a Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent Medium for Effective Photodegradation of Rhodamine B

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Green Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Traditional metal oxide nanoparticle synthesis involves harsh conditions and toxic solvents.
• Developing sustainable and efficient synthesis methods is crucial for the chemical industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an environmentally benign method for preparing copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs).
• To investigate the catalytic performance of CuO NPs synthesized using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) for pollutant degradation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) as green reaction media for CuO NP synthesis.
• Characterized the synthesized CuO NPs, noting their sheet-like mesoporous morphology.
• Evaluated the catalytic activity of CuO NPs for the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in the presence of potassium monopersulfate (PMS).

Main Results:

• Synthesized sheet-like mesoporous copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using NADESs.
• Achieved excellent catalytic performance of CuO NPs in the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB).
• Identified photoexcited holes, superoxide radicals, and singlet oxygen as key reactive species in the degradation process.

Conclusions:

• Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) are effective and green media for synthesizing copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs).
• The synthesized CuO NPs demonstrate superior catalytic activity compared to other metal oxide catalysts for RhB degradation.
• This NADES-based approach shows potential for synthesizing other metal oxides sustainably.