A Comparative Analysis of Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of MB, RhB, and CV Dyes with Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

A Comparative Analysis of Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of MB, RhB, and CV Dyes with Zinc 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 A Comparative Analysis of Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of MB, RhB, and CV Dyes with Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Adil Hamid, Mohit Sahni This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8345383/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study successfully synthesized pure ZnO nanoparticles via a straightforward co-precipitation method and thoroughly characterized them to confirm their structural integrity and photocatalytic potential. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed sharp peaks consistent with the hexagonal wurtzite phase, indicating excellent phase purity and crystallinity. Raman spectroscopy further supported these findings by displaying the characteristic vibrational modes of ZnO without any impurity signals. High-resolution TEM imaging showed clear lattice fringes, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) confirmed the polycrystalline nature of the material through well-defined diffraction rings. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized ZnO was evaluated under natural sunlight against three common organic dyes: Methylene Blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB), and Crystal Violet (CV). UV–Visible spectroscopy indicated a gradual reduction in dye concentrations, with kinetic analysis following a pseudo-first-order model. Notably, degradation efficiencies reached 98% for MB, 93% for RhB, and 96% for CV within 160 minutes. These results underscore the efficacy of co-precipitated ZnO as a low-cost, environmentally friendly photocatalyst, offering significant promise for practical wastewater treatment applications. Photocatalysis nanoparticles dye degradation waste water treatment Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 16 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 30 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Jan, 2026 Editor invited by journal 14 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 07 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 07 Jan, 2026 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. 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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-8345383","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":580654260,"identity":"20f9c149-6957-4e29-be0b-e22b02f12fff","order_by":0,"name":"Adil Hamid","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sharda University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adil","middleName":"","lastName":"Hamid","suffix":""},{"id":580654261,"identity":"ae8e606c-fde9-4b12-919f-86c137c1946f","order_by":1,"name":"Mohit Sahni","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACHoYDIMqAgbHxAWMDkAXmMkjg13IAoqXZgGgtDBAtDGwSSFpwA9323oOHPzDUyZtLN7dV/txhl893/ADjhx8MFnm4tJidOZcAdNhhw51zDrbd5j2TbDnzTAKzZA+DRDFOLTdyDIBaDjBuuJHYdpuxjdnA4EACgzTQL4kN+LXU2YO0FP5sqzcwOP+A+TcRWpgTQVoYeNsOGxjcSGDDb8uZMwYHzhgcTgZqaZbmbTtuIHnjYZtljwEeLcd7jD9UVNTZbriR/vDjz7ZqA77zyYdv/Kiow6kFAgxQeKDYMcCucBSMglEwCkYBcQAAVURiM5GLuo4AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Sharda University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohit","middleName":"","lastName":"Sahni","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-12 11:38:42","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8345383/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8345383/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":101401787,"identity":"72115229-b97f-4dc4-b6c9-408ff2b92fa3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-29 10:03:31","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1874861,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"RevisedAComparativeAnalysisofSolarPhotocatalyticDegradationofMB.Revised.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8345383/v1_covered_4d293491-297c-4b8c-a38a-c9b47fab1776.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A Comparative Analysis of Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of MB, RhB, and CV Dyes with Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-nano","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"narl","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Nano](https://www.springer.com/journal/11671)","snPcode":"11671","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11671/3","title":"Discover Nano","twitterHandle":"@SpringerOpen","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Photocatalysis, nanoparticles, dye degradation, waste water treatment","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8345383/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8345383/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study successfully synthesized pure ZnO nanoparticles via a straightforward co-precipitation method and thoroughly characterized them to confirm their structural integrity and photocatalytic potential. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed sharp peaks consistent with the hexagonal wurtzite phase, indicating excellent phase purity and crystallinity. Raman spectroscopy further supported these findings by displaying the characteristic vibrational modes of ZnO without any impurity signals. High-resolution TEM imaging showed clear lattice fringes, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) confirmed the polycrystalline nature of the material through well-defined diffraction rings. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized ZnO was evaluated under natural sunlight against three common organic dyes: Methylene Blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB), and Crystal Violet (CV). UV\u0026ndash;Visible spectroscopy indicated a gradual reduction in dye concentrations, with kinetic analysis following a pseudo-first-order model. Notably, degradation efficiencies reached 98% for MB, 93% for RhB, and 96% for CV within 160 minutes. 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