Enhancing photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide by coating with some natural pigments

An attempt has been made to enhance the photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide semiconductor by coating it with extracts of natural pigments, chlorophyll and anthocyanin. Coated photocatalyst has been used for the photobleaching of rose bengal dye. Progress of the reaction has been monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring absorbance of the reaction mixture at definite time intervals. The effect of variation of different parameters such as pH, concentration of dye, amount of semiconductor and light intensity on the rate of photobleaching was also observed. A tentative mechanism for the reaction has been proposed.