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Vol. 38 No. 1 (2026): Vol 38 Issue 1, 2026

Copyright (c) 2025 Hafeezur Rehmaan, Jaspal Singh, Payal Devi, Nawal Kishor, Nitish Kumar, Payal Sharma, Anjali

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Tailoring of Copper(II) Oxide-Cellulose Nanocomposites for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Thymol Blue

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2026.34785
Hafeezur Rehmaan
Department of Chemistry, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar-249404, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6197-7219
Jaspal Singh
Department of Chemistry, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar-249404, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1063-4931
Payal Devi
Department of Chemistry, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar-249404, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0700-7961
Nawal Kishor
Department of Chemistry, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar-249404, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1486-3113
Nitish Kumar
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6859-0946
Payal Sharma
Department of Chemistry, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar-249404, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4683-4149
Anjali
Department of Chemistry, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar-249404, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5337-9269

Corresponding Author(s) : Jaspal Singh

sjs2874@yahoo.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 38 No. 1 (2026): Vol 38 Issue 1, 2026

Abstract

The widespread release of synthetic dyes into aquatic ecosystems poses a serious environmental risk as a result of their toxicity, persistence and resistance to biodegradation. In this study, cellulose extracted from banana peels was combined with synthesized copper(II) oxide nanoparticles to fabricate CuO-cellulose nanocomposites for visible-light-driven degradation of thymol blue (ThB). The cellulose was isolated through sequential alkaline treatment, bleaching and acid hydrolysis, while CuO nanoparticles were prepared via co-precipitation and subsequent calcination. The nanocomposites were obtained by refluxing CuO with dispersed cellulose under alkaline conditions. Structural and compositional analyses through XRD, FTIR, XPS and FE-SEM/EDX confirmed the monoclinic CuO phase, the preservation of cellulose crystallinity and uniform nanoparticle anchoring on the cellulose matrix. UV-Vis DRS and Tauc analysis revealed that incorporation of cellulose effectively narrowed the band gap of CuO, enhancing visible-light absorption and interfacial charge transfer. Photocatalytic performance was assessed using ThB dye under controlled pH and temperature. Among the investigated compositions, the CuO-cellulose (3%) nanocomposite at 0.20 g/L exhibited the highest degradation efficiency, attributed to improved adsorption capacity, suppressed charge recombination and enhanced ROS generation. The results demonstrate the synergistic interaction between CuO and cellulose, offering a low-cost, sustainable and efficient photocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutant under visible light.

Keywords

Photocatalysis Thymol blue Wastewater treatment Organic pollutants Copper(II) oxide Cellulose
(1)
Rehmaan, H.; Singh, J.; Devi, P.; Kishor, N.; Kumar, N.; Sharma, P.; Anjali. Tailoring of Copper(II) Oxide-Cellulose Nanocomposites for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Thymol Blue. ajc 2025, 38, 45-54.
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