Synthesis of CaZrO3 nanoceramics by a sol-gel method and Photocatalysis Applications

Large scale solution routes to perovskite ceramics, such as the alkaline earth zirconates (AE ZrO3, AE = Ca, Sr, Ba), titanates, and their binary systems are of interest for their temperature insensitive dielectric properties. These perovskites have reasonable permittivities, very low dielectric loss, as well as extremely small positive (CZ, SZ) or negative (BZ, CT, ST) temperature coefficients which allow them to have minimal changes in their capacitance as a function of temperature [1-2]. The CaZrO3 nanoceramic was prepared by sol-gel method using the precursors of CaCl2.2H2O and ZrOCl2.8H2O. In a typical procedure, 0.40 g of calcium chloride that was dissolved in 10 mL of deionized water added to zirconium oxychloride. Then, a solution of NaOH added to them. Solid gels were readily obtained at 60°C. Finally, so obtained precipitation was calcinated at 700°C for 2 h to prepare CaZrO3 nanoceramic.Ceramic was characterized by FT-IR, SEM, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM shown uniform grain size. Parameters such as concentration of substrate, amount of photocatalyst, pH of the solution, temperature of reaction medium and time of irradiation of light for photocatalysis degradation of methylene blue (MB) and Eosin Y (EY) were investigated. Ceramic show the maximum adsorption at neutral pH hence the photodegradation also found maximum at neutral pH. When the pH increased to 10, the photodegradation of MB increased to 20% at the end of 30 min and when the pH decreased to 3, the photodegradation of EY increased to 50% at the end of 30 min.