Surfactant Assisted Synthesis of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue in the Presence of Visible Light

In this piece of research, precipitation method was followed to synthesize CuO nanoparticles using surfactants. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) was used as a surfactant to modify the surface morphology of the CuO nanoparticles. To investigate the characteristics of the CuO nanoparticles, X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy were studied. The catalytic activities of as prepared CuO nanostructures were evaluated by monitoring degradation of methylene blue in aqueous medium. Photo degradation assays showed that CuO prepared using SDS surfactant was efficient in the presence of visible light.