SYNTHESIS OF PHOTOCATALYTIC NANOMATERIAL ZnCo₂O₄ AND ITS APPLICATION IN CIPROFLOXACIN DEGRADATION UNDER VISIBLE LIGHT

This study involved the synthesis of ZnCo₂O₄ nanoparticles using a straightforward co-precipitation technique. The influence of calcination temperature and dispersion medium on the structure, phase composition, crystallinity, and photocatalytic activity of the materials was examined. The optimal circumstances within the survey parameters were identified: a calcination temperature of 400 °C and a dispersion agent composition of 10 mL polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 4 mL glycerol. Under these conditions, ZCO400 or ZCO10 materials were synthesized, exhibiting distinctive one-dimensional shape, homogeneity, and consistent surface distribution (SEM-EDS). The breakdown of ciprofloxacin (cipro) in ZCO400 and ZCO10 under visible light was over 84% after three hours of exposure, using a catalyst concentration of 0.5 g/L and a ciprofloxacin concentration of 20 ppm. The quality of the acquired crystals and the material's favourable optical absorption characteristics contributed to this outcome. The ultravioletvisible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis-RDS) results indicated that the material had a low band gap energy of 2.05 eV and effectively absorbs ultraviolet light, while most visible light wavelengths were below 605 nm.