Characterization of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles and their applications in photocatalytic degradation of azodyes

• TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by sol–gel and precipitation methods respectively.
• The particle size was found to be 15.4 nm and 17.9 nm.
• Photocatalytic activity of prepared catalysts was found excellent with red 27 and coralene red F3BS dyes under UV radiation.
• The reusability of TiO2 could be very effective for few cycles.

TiO2 nanoparticles have been synthesized from the inorganic precursor Ti [OC3H7]4via sol–gel technique. Similarly, ZnO nanoparticles have also been synthesized from zinc sulfate precursor using precipitation method. The prepared nanoparticles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques to study the morphology, structural configuration and its functionality. The average particle size for TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles was 15.4 nm and 17.9 nm, respectively. The synthesized TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles have been used for degradation of acid red 27 and coralene red F3BS dyes under the UV light. The regeneration of TiO2 photocatalyst was also tested.