Structural, Morphological, Optical and Photocatalytic Properties of ZnO50%-CdO50% Mixed-Oxide Nanoparticles

Structural, Morphological, Optical and Photocatalytic Properties of ZnO50%-CdO50% Mixed-Oxide Nanoparticles | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Structural, Morphological, Optical and Photocatalytic Properties of ZnO 50% -CdO 50% Mixed-Oxide Nanoparticles Vikas Patil, Vinod Barote, Santosh Katariya, Umesh Maske, Sunanda Patil, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8510716/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This investigation explores the synthesis, comprehensive characterization, and photocatalytic performance of equimolar ZnO 50% -CdO 50% mixed-oxide nanoparticles prepared via sonochemical methodology with and without lemon extract capping. Structural analysis through X-ray diffraction revealed hexagonal wurtzite architecture with lattice parameters a = 3.861 Å and c = 5.220 Å for uncapped samples, indicating significant lattice distortion from Cd²⁺ incorporation. Morphological investigations using scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy demonstrated average particle sizes of 62 nm and 48 nm respectively, with mixed cubic-spherical geometries evidencing solid solution formation. Lemon-capped nanoparticles exhibited reduced crystallite dimensions (17.03 nm) with enhanced dispersion and morphological uniformity. Optical characterization revealed band gap values approximating 2.8-3.0 eV, representing intermediate properties between constituent oxides. Photocatalytic evaluation against three organic pollutants demonstrated exceptional performance: 91.98% degradation efficiency for Methylene Blue, 88.27% for Crystal Violet, and 47.45% for tetrazine under UV irradiation over 165 minutes. The equimolar composition maximized heterojunction interface area, optimizing charge separation and reactive oxygen species generation. Lemon capping significantly enhanced catalytic activity through surface passivation and improved dispersion. These findings establish ZnO 50% -CdO 50% nanocomposites as promising materials for advanced oxidation processes in water treatment applications, with performance varying systematically based on pollutant electronic structure and degradation mechanism requirements. ZnO-CdO nanoparticles heterojunction photocatalysis sonochemical synthesis advanced oxidation processes dye degradation lemon extract capping mixed-oxide semiconductors water treatment Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8510716","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":572685906,"identity":"5b6b9473-c456-434e-ab24-9751efbd16bd","order_by":0,"name":"Vikas Patil","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA70lEQVRIie3PsarCMBSA4RwOpEurq9LBV7B0EpU+SxHudH2HSiAusa46+RbOSkCfQeIgCM7tFqXDjYWOth0vmH9Iz5CvSQix2f5jSKsBF7fMfKnTlrgILNi8CTYeUxEC3HfLnzSA4ZnGuX5dB5EDLJy89oMOEsjy3xoiqfS99BEIhMV9nqqAI8H+dv+Z9JmT+CAkGMLCuVBgCEWvnrDnU8jIEO6PhIoaSRfpqedqGZeEaBW3IT9jL3nMzN1YsErUjJsb1r6Fdk/hRRfX6XItjzddqOluyY5ZXkPKgB+qoVyThv3vikM1tNhss9lsX9cfLpVPceRhY+oAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vikas","middleName":"","lastName":"Patil","suffix":""},{"id":572685908,"identity":"e52ccbef-cd99-465d-915d-c2ed2dcb6310","order_by":1,"name":"Vinod Barote","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sant Dnyaneshwar Mahavidyalaya, Soegaon","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vinod","middleName":"","lastName":"Barote","suffix":""},{"id":572685909,"identity":"7e9231c7-0af1-4b8c-babc-fbccb6d646ec","order_by":2,"name":"Santosh Katariya","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"SIES College Of Arts, Science and Commerce, (Autonomous), Sion","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Santosh","middleName":"","lastName":"Katariya","suffix":""},{"id":572685914,"identity":"e1fc9e0b-9142-4f15-9938-21ab32c0d624","order_by":3,"name":"Umesh Maske","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"K. 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Structural analysis through X-ray diffraction revealed hexagonal wurtzite architecture with lattice parameters a\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.861 \u0026Aring; and c\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.220 \u0026Aring; for uncapped samples, indicating significant lattice distortion from Cd\u0026sup2;⁺ incorporation. Morphological investigations using scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy demonstrated average particle sizes of 62 nm and 48 nm respectively, with mixed cubic-spherical geometries evidencing solid solution formation. Lemon-capped nanoparticles exhibited reduced crystallite dimensions (17.03 nm) with enhanced dispersion and morphological uniformity. Optical characterization revealed band gap values approximating 2.8-3.0 eV, representing intermediate properties between constituent oxides. Photocatalytic evaluation against three organic pollutants demonstrated exceptional performance: 91.98% degradation efficiency for Methylene Blue, 88.27% for Crystal Violet, and 47.45% for tetrazine under UV irradiation over 165 minutes. The equimolar composition maximized heterojunction interface area, optimizing charge separation and reactive oxygen species generation. Lemon capping significantly enhanced catalytic activity through surface passivation and improved dispersion. 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