Synthesis of morphology-controlled ternary nanocomposite with the aid of surfactant (CATAB) as structure-directing agent for catalytic oxidation of organic azo dye

A novel synthesis approach was applied to deposit tri-metal oxide nanocomposite, AL₂O₃/TiO₂/ZnO, onto surfactant template in an attempt to control the morphology and reduce the aggregation . Consequently, increases the surface area available for catalytic activity. Different samples were prepared by varying the amount of CTAB as a structure-directing agent. Samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, UV-Vis, DLS, TGA, FTIR, and nitrogen adsorption. The nanocomposites were tested for the catalytic oxidation of Congo red (CR). Calcination resulted in higher activity as a result of removing the template and thus leaving empty pores with higher surface area. Before calcination, the amount of CATAB added inversely affected both available surface area and activity. The maximum oxidation efficiency was 92%. TOC analysis confirmed mineralization of CR by 82% drop. After four successive cycles, only 3% reduction in catalysis activity was observed. Overall, this proposed method is very promising in controlling morphology, structural properties, and catalytic activity of catalyst.