The disclosure of the present patent application relates to nanoparticles, and particularly to synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Origanum majorana herbal extracts.
In recent years, transition metal oxide semiconductors have been studied extensively. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an important semiconductor material and is generally a main component of paints, pigments, cosmetics and foodstuffs. TiO2 may be used in sterilization or disinfection, prevention of stains, gas sensors, self-cleaning windows, electron chromic devices, anti-reflection coatings for photovoltaic cells, catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide and photodegradation of organic pollutants in water and air. Photocatalysis uses light to activate a catalytic material that breaks down pollutants. Photocatalysis has significant potential in environmental applications, but has not yet been successfully deployed on a commercial scale.
Common methods for preparing titanium dioxide include multistage processes with filtration, sintering, milling, and dispersion steps. These approaches may result in high production costs and significant waste of starting materials.
Thus, a method of synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Origanum majorana herbal extracts solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Origanum majorana (O. majorana) herbal extracts may be achieved by mixing Titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) with O. majorana extracts. The O. majorana herbal extracts may be extracts obtained using boiled distilled water. The TTIP may be mixed with the O. majorana extract at a ratio of 2:1. The resulting paste may be heated and pounded into a powder. The powder may then be calcinated in a muffle furnace to produce O. majorana titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
These and other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Origanum majorana (O. majorana) herbal extracts may be achieved by mixing Titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) with O. majorana extracts. The O. majorana herbal extracts may be extracts obtained using boiled distilled water. The TTIP may be mixed with the O. majorana extract at a ratio of 2:1. The resulting paste may be heated and pounded into a powder. The powder may then be calcinated in a muffle furnace, producing O. majorana titanium dioxide nanoparticles (“O. majorana TiO2 NPs”).
The O. majorana TiO2 NPs may include a composition of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and components of O. majorana extract adsorbed on the surface of the titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The O. majorana TiO2 NPs may have an average diameter of 238.0 nanometers, with a standard deviation of 75.59 nanometers. For example, the O. majorana TiO2 NPs may have a diameter ranging from about 162.41 nanometers to about 313.59 nanometers. The O. majorana TiO2 NPs may be hexagonal and irregular in shape.
When exposed to ultraviolet light, the O. majorana TiO2 NPs demonstrate excellent degradation efficiency, suggesting a significant potential application as photocatalysts, and particularly for water purification processes including direct solar irradiation.
The present teachings are illustrated by the following examples.
O. majorana (Murdagoosh) plant parts (10g) were washed, dried, and ground. The ground O. majorana was then soaked overnight in 100 ml boiled distilled water. The resulting extract was filtered twice and the final filtrates were used for preparation of the titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
TTIP was mixed with the O. majorana final filtrate at a ratio of 2:1 under constant stirring conditions, resulting in a yellowish paste. The paste was heated on a hot plate at 80° C. The heated paste was pounded into a powder and the powder was calcinated in a muffle furnace at 450° C. for 5 hours, producing a beige powder including O. majorana titanium dioxide nanoparticles (O. majorana TiO2 NPs).
Dynamic light scattering characterizes the size of colloidal dispersions, utilizes the illumination of a suspension of particles or molecules undergoing Brownian motion by a laser beam.
Transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the morphology, crystallinity, and size of the O. majorana TiO2 nanoparticles. As shown in
Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy confirms the synthesis of crystalline O. majorana TiO2 nanoparticles. As seen in
Photocatalytic activity was evaluated using a degradation test. Briefly, photocatalytic activity was evaluated under UV irradiation with a Rhodamine B dye. Laboratory scale cuvettes were prepared with 20 ml of a dye solution and O. majorana titanium dioxide nanoparticles were dispersed within the cuvette. The cuvette was then positioned 5 cm from a UV lamp under continuous stirring conditions and optical absorption spectra were recorded upon different light exposure durations using a UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The degradation rate was determined by recording the reduction in absorption intensity of the dye at a maximum wavelength (Amax=553 nm). The degradation efficiency (DE) was calculated using Equation 1.
In Equation 1, A0 is the initial absorption intensity of wastewater at λmax=553 nm and A is the absorption intensity after photodegradation. As expected, the green TiO2 nanoparticles demonstrated a good response under UV irradiation where the DE reached 100% after 20 hours of irradiation (
It is to be understood that the synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Origanum majorana herbal extracts is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the generic language of the following claims enabled by the embodiments described herein, or otherwise shown in the drawings or described above in terms sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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6576589 | Na | Jun 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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103464214 | Dec 2013 | CN |
105440907 | Mar 2016 | CN |
106268728 | Jan 2017 | CN |
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