سید مجید هاشمی

CuO nanoparticles were prepared by green synthesis method using two brown algae extracts, Cystoceira and padina. The XRD pattern of CuO nanoparticles showed that they were pure and were crystallized in monoclinic structure. The size of crystallites, prepared by Cystoceira extract, was calculated, using XRD pattern, to be 5.2 nm, and the size of crystallites prepared by padina extract was calculated to be 4.2 nm. FESEM images showed that the prepared CuO nanoparticles were spherical. Cupper(II) oxide nanoparticles supported on ZnO (CuO/ZnO) were also prepared by green synthesis method using Cystoceira extract. Their XRD pattern showed that ZnO was crystallized in hexagonal structure with 33.4 nm crystallite size and CuO was crystallized in monoclinic structure with 30.9 nm crystallite size. Reduction of Cu2 by NaBH4 in the presence of Cystoceira and pedina extracts resulted in a mixture of Cu and Cu2O nanoparticles. The XRD pattern showed that Cu was crystallized in cubic structure with 40.7 nm crystallite size, and Cu2O was also crystallized in cubic structure with 94 nm crystallite size. CuO and CuO/ZnO nanoparticles were used for adsorption of indigo carmin dye at pH of 5, 7 and 9 at dark, and for its photocatalytic degradation at sunlight. The results showed that the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of the dye are higher at basic medium, and CuO is a better adsorbant and photocatalyst than CuO/ZnO.