Green and eco-friendly synthesis of Co₃O₄ and Ag-Co₃O₄: Characterization and photo-catalytic activity

In this study, Co₃O₄ and Ag-Co₃O₄ were synthesized by a novel and green method using leaves extract of Helianthus annuus from cobalt nitrate and silver nitrate. The synthesized particles were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, thermal gravimetric analyses, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analyses and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The photo catalytic activities of synthesized Co₃O₄ and Ag-Co₃O₄ were appraised by degrading methyl orange dye and after 120 minutes of reaction a degradation of 53 and 87% was achieved using 100 mg/L (50 mL) solution of methyl orange and 0.1 g Co₃O₄ and Ag-Co₃O₄ as catalyst respectively. This green synthesis of Ag-Co₃O₄ proves to be an eco-benign, environmental benign, simple and effective approach for degradation of dyes in aqueous medium.