Silk fibroin linked Zn/Cd-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles to purify the organically polluted water

Photocatalytic degradation of toxic organic pollutant is a challenging tasks for environmental protection. Recently most of the researchers are focusing on metal oxide semiconductors, such as TiO₂, ZnO, and SnO₂ as efficient photocatalysts for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant. In this regard, we are eager to increase the photocatalytic activity with the help of organic molecule (Silk Fibroin (SF)). Metal oxides are attached on the surface of SF with the help of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). In this present work, pure SnO₂, (Cd/Zn) doped SnO₂ and SF linked nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by microwave technique. The synthesized samples were investigated by XRD, FTIR and UV-DRS techniques. The surface morphology of all the samples were investigated by FESEM analysis. Photocatalytic activities of Cd doped SnO₂ nanoparticles and SF attached Cd/Zn doped SnO₂ nanoparticles were studied on methylene blue (MB) dye under UV–vis light illumination. (paper)