NiO Nanoparticles Via Calcination of Dithiocarbamate Precursors: Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

By this work, the preparation of NiO nanoparticles (NPs) from a dithiocarbamate complex through calcination, both a cost-effective and practical way for NPs synthesis, was presented. This preparation process involves the decomposition of the precursor to yield highly pure and crystalline NPs. The dithiocarbamate complex was synthesized in a sequential reaction starting from p-anisaldehyde and 3aminopropanol. Particle size of the NPs, whose formation was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy, were calculated as 10.97 nm using DebyeScherer equation from X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD). In addition, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed generally aggregated and spherical particles, which are stable in colloidal environment according to -15.1 zeta potential value. Besides, the NPs were employed as a photocatalyst for the decomposition of Methylene Blue (MB), one of the most frequently used synthetic dyes in industry and, at the same time, one of the primary water pollutants, resulting in 38% degradation rate.