Photocatalytic dye degradation activities of green synthesis of cuprous oxide nanoparticles from Sargassum wightii extract

Abstract

In the present study, we report on the green synthesis of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles using Sargassum wightii by single-step straightforward co-precipitation method. The preparation of Cu2O nanoparticles is a fully green and environmentally beneficial process. The samples exhibit a homogeneous distribution and a uniform spherical shape and the size ranged between 20 and 30 nm, according to studies using the Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The existence of elements, Cu (42.09%) and O (57.91%), was confirmed by EDAX analysis. The X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) pattern supports the polydispersity and crystalline structure of the material. The presence of metal oxide functional groups was proven using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR). The optical band gap of the Cu2O is estimated to be about 3.11 eV based on the optical transmission at 383 nm using frequently used ultraviolet spectra. The photocatalytic degradation ability of the as-prepared sample was investigated against the methylene Blue (MB), methylene Orange (MO), and Rhodamine B (RB) dye under UV, and sunlight irradiation. According to the photocatalytic degradation analysis, the green synthesized Cu2O nanoparticles show high photocatalytic degradation of methylene Orange 92% after 180 min under Sunlight irradiation. Cuprous oxide nanoparticles are an efficient activity that is advantageous to water purification and environmentally favourable applications.