NaNbO3/Eumelanin composite: A new photocatalyst under visible light

• Autor(a) principal: Fernandes, Daiane
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Raubach, Cristiane W., Ferrer, Mateus M., Jardim, Pedro L.G., Graeff, Carlos Frederico de O. [UNESP], Moreira, Mario L., Moreira, Eduardo C., Mastelaro, Valmor R., da S. Cava, Sergio
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2022.12.094; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/249547
• topic: Eumelanin; Photocatalysis; Sodium niobate; Visible light

Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) is a semiconductor with many potential technological applications and, among them, it is considered a promising photocatalyst. However, it only absorbs ultraviolet light, limiting its use in light-dependent processes. Therefore, in this work we synthesized NaNbO3 nanoparticles quickly and used them to prepare a NaNbO3/Eumelanin composite with photocatalytic activity under visible light. Eumelanin was extracted from human hair and is a pigment responsible for the brown-black coloration, abundant in fauna and flora. The results showed that the composite successfully degraded the Rhodamine B dye. Therefore, this study presents a photocatalyst solution with better use of light and serves as inspiration for the development of new photocatalysts.