article · ACS Omega
A solution combustion synthesis method offers a fast, energy-efficient route to produce porous zinc oxide and copper-doped zinc oxide nanocomposites. Once the precursor-surfactant complex reaches its ignition point, the self-sustaining reaction completes quickly without continuous external energy input, yielding stable metal oxides at 500 degrees Celsius. Combining copper and zinc oxide creates heterojunctions with crystallite sizes between 15 and 50 nanometres, enhancing optical absorption and charge transfer while suppressing electron-hole recombination. Electrochemical assessments reveal diffusion-controlled charge movement and mixed p-type and n-type characteristics in the composite material. When evaluated for catalytic performance, the nanocomposite drove the chemical reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in three and a half minutes, outperforming pure zinc oxide nanoparticles. This manufacturing technique offers a rapid, cost-effective pathway for producing functional nanomaterials.
Developing efficient methods to produce functional nanomaterials can reduce manufacturing energy costs and support environmental clean-up. By using self-sustaining combustion synthesis, this approach rapidly manufactures catalyst materials capable of breaking down industrial pollutants. The demonstrated rapid conversion of toxic 4-nitrophenol into 4-aminophenol highlights how tailored nanocomposites can improve industrial chemical treatment processes while cutting synthesis time.
The synthesis approach and resulting nanocomposites could benefit industries involved in chemical manufacturing, sensor development, and wastewater remediation targeting organic pollutants. By reducing the time and external energy required for material preparation, the method presents cost advantages over traditional synthesis routes. However, this is early-stage laboratory research demonstrated on bench-scale 4-nitrophenol reduction, meaning substantial scale-up, catalyst recovery, and operational longevity trials remain necessary before commercial deployment.
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The synthesis of optoelectrically enhanced nanomaterials should be continuously improved by employing time- and energy-saving techniques. The porous zinc oxide (ZnO) and copper-doped ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) were synthesized by the time- and energy-efficient solution combustion synthesis (SCS) approach. In this SCS approach, once the precursor-surfactant complex ignition point is reached, the reaction starts and ends within a short time without the need for any external energy. The TGA-DTA analysis confirmed that 500 °C was the point at which stable metal oxide was obtained. The doping and heterojunction strategy improved the optoelectric properties of the NCs more than the individual constituents, which then enhanced the materials' charge transfer and optical absorption capabilities. The porosity, nanoscale crystallite size (15-50 nm), and formation of Cu/CuO-ZnO NCs materials were confirmed from the XRD, SEM, and TEM/HRTEM analyses. The obtained d-spacing values of 0.275 and 0.234 nm confirm the formation of ZnO and CuO crystals, respectively. The decrease in photoluminescence intensity for the doped NCs corroborates a reduction in electron-hole recombination. On the Mott-Schottky analysis, the positive slope for ZnO confirms the n-type character, while the negative and positive slopes of the NCs confirm the p- and n-type characters, respectively. A diffusion-controlled type of charge transfer process on the electrode surface was confirmed from the cyclic voltammetric analysis. Thus, the overall analysis shows the applicability of the less expensive and more efficient SCS for several applications, such as catalysis and sensors. To confirm this, an organic catalytic reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol was tested. Within three and a half minutes, the catalytic reduction result showed the great potential of NCs over ZnO NPs. Thus, the energy- and time-saving SCS approach has a great future outlook as an industrial pollutant catalytic reduction application.
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DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00141
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