Synthesis and characterization of nickel oxide and evaluation of its catalytic activities for degradation of methyl orange in aqueous medium

This study focuses on synthesis of nickel oxide catalyst and exploration of its catalytic activities for degradation of methyl orange in aqueous medium. Nickel oxide was prepared sole-gel method using nickel nitrate haxahydrate and citric acid as precursor materials. X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy were used for characterization of prepared nickel oxide particles. The prepared particles were used as the catalysts for the degradation of Methyl Orange in aqueous medium. The effects of different parameters on degradation of methyl orange were investigated. The degradation of methyl orange followed the Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism. The apparent activation energies for degradation of methyl orange determined was found as 36.4 kJ/mol.