Browsing by Author "Agbe, H."
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Item The effect of titanium dioxide synthesis technique and its photocatalytic degradation of organic dye pollutants(Heliyon, 2018-07) Dodoo-Arhin, D.; Buabeng, F.P.; Mwabora, J.M.; Amaniampong, P.N.; Agbe, H.; Nyankson, E.; Obada, D.O.; Asiedu, N.Y.Nanostructured mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles with high specific surface area and average crystallite domain sizes within 2 nm and 30 nm have been prepared via the sol-gel and hydrothermal procedures. The characteristics of produced nanoparticles have been tested using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), and Raman Spectroscopy as a function of temperature for their microstructural, porosity, morphological, structural and absorption properties. The as-synthesized TiO2 nanostructures were attempted as catalysts in Rhodamine B and Sudan III dyes' photocatalytic decomposition in a batch reactor with the assistance of Ultra Violet (UV) light. The results show that for catalysts calcined at 300 °C, ∼100 % decomposition of Sudan III dye was observed when Hydrothermal based catalyst was used whiles ∼94 % decomposition of Rhodamine B dye was observed using the sol-gel based catalysts. These synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles have promising potential applications in the light aided decomposition of a wide range of dye pollutants.Item H2O2 rejuvenation-mediated synthesis of stable mixed-morphology Ag3PO4 photocatalysts(Heliyon, 2018-04) Agbe, H.; Raza, N.; Dodoo-Arhin, D.; Chauhan, A.; Kumar, R.V.Ag3PO4 photocatalyst has attracted interest of the scientific community in recent times due to its reported high efficiency for water oxidation and dye degradation. However, Ag3PO4 photo-corrodes if electron accepter such as AgNO3 is not used as scavenger. Synthesis of efficient Ag3PO4 followed by a simple protocol for regeneration of the photocatalyst is therefore a prerequisite for practical application. Herein, we present a facile method for the synthesis of a highly efficient Ag3PO4, whose photocatalytic efficiency was demonstrated using 3 different organic dyes: Methylene Blue (MB), Methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB) organic dyes for degradation tests. Approximately, 19 % of Ag3PO4 is converted to Ag0 after 4.30 hours of continuous UV-Vis irradiation in presence of MB organic dye. We have shown that the Ag/Ag3PO4 composite can be rejuvenated by a simple chemical oxidation step after several cycles of photocatalysis tests. At an optimal pH of 6.5, a mixture of cubic, rhombic dodecahedron, nanosphere and nanocrystals morphologies of the photocatalyst was formed. H2O2 served as the chemical oxidant to re-insert the surface metallic Ag into the Ag3PO4 photocatalyst but also as the agent that can control morphology of the regenerated as-prepared photocatalyst without the need for any other morphology controlling Agent (MCA). Surprisingly, the as- regenerated Ag3PO4 was found to have higher photocatalytic reactivity than the freshly made material and superior at least 17 times in comparison with the conventional Degussa TiO2, and some of TiO2 composites tested in this work.Item Recent advances in photoinduced catalysis for water splitting and environmental applications(Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 2019-01) Agbe, H.; Nyankson, E.; Raza, N.; Dodoo-Arhin, D.; Chauhan, A.; Osei, G.; Kumar, V.; Kim, K.H.To secure reliable alternative energy sources, the up-conversion of solar energy into storable chemical energy holds promise. This review is organized to highlight recent advances in the fields of solar energy utilization and conversion methods with the aid of various heterogeneous catalysts. Special emphasis has been placed on TiO2 photoanode catalysts, band-gap engineering, TiO2-coupled light-harvesting molecules, and photon-coupled electron transfer via electron transport mediator systems. Furthermore, the coverage of this review extends to the topics of oxygen evolution catalysts, water reduction catalysts, and a system assembly capable of completing the four-electron water-oxidation reaction for efficient photocatalytic water splitting.Item A simple sensing of hazardous photo-induced superoxide anion radicals using a molecular probe in ZnO-Nanoparticles aqueous medium(Environmental Research, 2019-03-25) Dodoo-Arhin, D.; Agbe, H.; Raza, N.; Kumar, R.V.; Kim, K.The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the photolysis of sunscreens and sun blockers poses consumer safety concerns while necessitating proper identification and quantitation of ROS species. Here, a colorimetric sensing approach has been developed based on a molecular probe (2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5- sulfophenyl)-2-H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) tetrazolium salt) to quantitatively measure the photo-induced superoxide anion radicals (%O2 .) generated from the photocatalysis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in aqueous solutions. Note that superoxide anion radicals are assumed to be the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from such photocatalysis. The characterisation of ZnO-NPs before and after irradiation showed average particle sizes of 616.5 and 295.3 nm and ζ-potential values of 0 and -24.4 mV, respectively. It is hoped that this proposed protocol can be further developed to efficiently detect other ROS present in inorganic sun blockers and to optimize the utility of various sunscreen formulations.Item Synthesis of nanostructured cupric oxide for visible light assisted degradation of organic wastewater pollutants(Taylor & Francis Group, 2021) Dodoo-Arhin, D.; Mbu, E.E.; Ntwampe, S.K.; Malenga, E.N.; Fosso-Kankeu, E.; Agyei-Tuffour, B.; Nyankson, E.; Yaya, A.; Agbe, H.When organic dye-containing wastewater from textile industries are sometimes released into the environment, the liquids tend to pollute the environment whilst their solid residue accrues on land after the evaporation of the water. Most of these synthetic compounds are known to be poisonous and carcinogenic to living organisms. For this study, a relatively simple, sustainable and cost-effective approach have been utilized to synthesize CuO nanoparticles using copper precursor salts: (CuSO4.5H2O) and (Cu(NO3)2.3H2O), as a remedy for dye pollution reduction in water. Due to their simplicity of synthesis, insignificant harmfulness and cost, copper (II) oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were used to breakdown three generally utilized dyes; Rhodamine B (RhB), Methylene Blue (MB)- [Methylthioninium chloride] and Methyl Orange (MeO). The as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized to determine the ordered arrangement of atoms, functional groups, weight loss, thermal properties, microstructure and surface characteristics. Most significantly, the predominant preferential crystal growth was along the {002}/{-111} plane for the sulphate-based precursor whiles for the nitrate based precursor, it was preferentially grown along the {111} direction. The mesoporous nanoparticles had aver age crystallite sizes of 12 nm and 15 nm; and BET surface areas of 42.9 m2 /g, and 69.6 m2 /g respectively. The as-prepared nanoparticles were assessed for their photocatalytic behaviour in response to visible light exposure for 100 minutes at 25- min’ intervals. The nitrate precursor-based CuO photocatalysts showed relatively higher photodegradation efficiency (MeO-94.3%; MB- 90.6%; RhB - 99.6%) as compared with the sulphate precursor-based CuO photocatalysts (MeO-85.2 %; MB-87.9%; RhB- 98.8%)Item Ultrasonic–biogenic synthesis of silver on anodized aluminum with superior antibacterial properties(Materials Advances, 2023) Agbe, H.; Sarkar, D.K.; Dodoo-Arhin, D.; et al.The design and fabrication of high-touch surfaces with antibacterial properties can reduce microbial burden and subsequent nosocomial infections in a hygiene-critical environment. In the present study, biogenic silver nanoparticles (biogenic Ag-NPs) have been synthesized and deposited in situ on an anodized aluminum oxide surface using an ultrasound-assisted onion extract synthesis process. Morphological features and chemical composition have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The biogenic Ag-NP-coated anodized aluminum exhibited 100% E. coli bacteria inactivation under 60 minutes of contact