ZnO@ porous graphite nanocomposite from waste for superior photocatalytic activity

In this work, a new type of advanced 3D mesoporous carbon nanocomposites derived from Zn dust/PET bottle mixed waste with a high surface area is created. Interestingly, simultaneous transformation of Zn metal into ZnO nanoparticles and PET bottle waste to porous carbon materials occurred upon thermal treatment at 700 °C. The effect of the amount of Zn metal on the prepared materials has been studied. The carbon material-based waste presented very large surface area (up to 684.5 m²/g) with pore size distribution (18.47–16.88 nm). The SEM and TEM analysis revealed that the produced carbon materials have 3D porous dense layers with a gradient pore structure. The created waste-based nanocomposite exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of organic dyes (methylene blue and malachite green). It is believed that the presented work not only provides a sustainable approach to the creation of new nanocomposites of ZnO-mesoporous carbon materials for the application in photocatalysis but also introduces a new way of upcycling of mixed waste materials.