In-situ formation of a ZnO@graphene oxide nanocomposite from alginate xerogels with enhanced photocatalytic performance
Abstract
A smart eco-design approach for the synthesis of a zinc oxide@graphene oxide (ZnO@GO) nanocomposite was developed. The approach involved heat treatment by calcination of zinc-alginate xerogels at 600 • C for 8 h under argon atmosphere, followed by sonication in order to exfoliate the graphite oxide formed by calcination into graphene oxide. Key exfoliation parameters (duration, power, and ethanol/water ratio) were optimized according to a three-factor Doehlert matrix design. Systematic variations of exfoliation factors were undertaken to assess their impact on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO@GO nanocomposites. Photocatalytic performances of the innovative ZnO@GO nanocomposite catalyst were tested on the photodegradation of Orange G model dye under UV light irradiation. and complete degradation of Orange G was achieved after 135 min. Photocatalysis mediated by the as-prepared nanocomposite exhibited a rate constant of 0.0429 min -1 , which was higher than photocatalysis mediated by pristine ZnO nanoparticles at a rate constant of 0.0255 min -1 . Furthermore, ZnO@GO showed improved performance and reliable reproducibility in dye photodegradation, with a decrease in performance of only 11.6% following 7 reaction cycles.
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BibTeX
@article{faroudi2026insitu,
title = {{In-situ formation of a ZnO@graphene oxide nanocomposite from alginate xerogels with enhanced photocatalytic performance}},
author = {Loubna El Faroudi and Rkia Zari and Abdellatif Barakat and Mustafa K Ismael and Latifa Saadi and Mustapha Raihane and Karima Abdelouahdi and Abderrahim Solhy},
journal = {Next Materials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102070},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05836499v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - In-situ formation of a ZnO@graphene oxide nanocomposite from alginate xerogels with enhanced photocatalytic performance
AU - Loubna El Faroudi
AU - Rkia Zari
AU - Abdellatif Barakat
AU - Mustafa K Ismael
AU - Latifa Saadi
AU - Mustapha Raihane
AU - Karima Abdelouahdi
AU - Abderrahim Solhy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Next Materials
DO - 10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102070
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05836499v1
AB - A smart eco-design approach for the synthesis of a zinc oxide@graphene oxide (ZnO@GO) nanocomposite was developed. The approach involved heat treatment by calcination of zinc-alginate xerogels at 600 • C for 8 h under argon atmosphere, followed by sonication in order to exfoliate the graphite oxide formed by calcination into graphene oxide. Key exfoliation parameters (duration, power, and ethanol/water ratio) were optimized according to a three-factor Doehlert matrix design. Systematic variations of exfoliation factors were undertaken to assess their impact on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO@GO nanocomposites. Photocatalytic performances of the innovative ZnO@GO nanocomposite catalyst were tested on the photodegradation of Orange G model dye under UV light irradiation. and complete degradation of Orange G was achieved after 135 min. Photocatalysis mediated by the as-prepared nanocomposite exhibited a rate constant of 0.0429 min -1 , which was higher than photocatalysis mediated by pristine ZnO nanoparticles at a rate constant of 0.0255 min -1 . Furthermore, ZnO@GO showed improved performance and reliable reproducibility in dye photodegradation, with a decrease in performance of only 11.6% following 7 reaction cycles.
SN - 2949-8228
ER -