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Gold nanoparticles were synthesized by adapting an ecofriendly green method using aloe leaf extract. Aloe leaf extract acts both as stabilizing as well as reducing agent. The microwave method was adopted to prepare gold nanoparticles (GNPs). The formation of GNPs was observed using Ultraviolet surface plasmon resonance (UV-SPR) analysis. Morphology and characterization of GNPs were done by using Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX) techniques. FESEM and HRTEM analysis showed that the morphology of the obtained GNPs was polygon-shaped. Crystalline nature was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. By applying the Scherrer formula, the average size of the GNPS was estimated to be 6±1nm. The catalytic activity of the prepared nanoparticles was studied by taking methyl red reduction as a model reaction. UV-VIS spectroscopy was used to follow the reaction by observing a change in absorbance with respect to time. The reaction is monitored under pseudo first order kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the core-shell structured black titanium dioxide (Black-TiO2) photocatalyst has attracted massive research interest due its improved photocatalytic properties and performance in various applications. In this paper, the synthesis of CS B-TiO2 is reported, and its structural properties are elucidated. The Black-TiO2 was synthesized by hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) in aqueous glycerol and post calcination at a low temperature of 300°C for 1h. The properties of the Black-TiO2 were determined using x-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) coupled with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and 3-dimension (3D) plots, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), diffuse reflectance UV-Visible spectroscopy (DRUV-Vis), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The performance of the Black-TiO2 was evaluated for the removal of phenolic compounds from real wastewater matrix under visible light irradiation. The results demonstrated anatase phase, particle size of 14.30 nm and an amorphous shell with a thickness of 1.5 nm surrounding the crystalline core of the Black-TiO2. Most importantly, the visible light absorption was enhanced, the bandgap was narrowed to 2.96 eV, and electron-hole pair recombination was considerably suppressed in Black-TiO2 which led to enhanced photocatalytic performance indicated by the 48.17% removal of the initial 224.85 mg/L phenolic compounds within 180 min of visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]