Influence of jute template on the surface, optical and photocatalytic properties of sol-gel derived mesoporous zinc oxide

Utility of bio-templates in the synthesis of crystalline solids is one of the preferred routes in green synthesis. The present study explores jute fiber as a biotemplate for the sol-gel synthesis of zinc oxide. AT-IR of the as synthesized sample clearly revealed the chelation between the metal and active groups of jute. The surface area enhancement and reduction in crystallite size in the templated samples were confirmed from BET and XRD analyses. ZnO prepared using 0.5 g/3 g of precursor possessed higher average crystallite size than the other samples. Surprisingly, the same sample also had a high surface area due to its distinct spherical morphology, highlighting the influence of morphology on the surface area of ZnO. Jute templated ZnO exhibited significant photocatalytic activity for degradation of crystal violet dye under visible light. Thus, jute has been proved to be an efficient template for the sol-gel synthesis of ZnO with controlled crystallite characteristics.