World Applied Sciences Journal 3 (5): 738-741, 2008 ISSN 1818-4952 © IDOSI Publications, 2008 Corresponding Author: Hamid Reza Ebrahimi Afarani, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University, Majlessi Branch, Isfahan, Iran 738 Preparation of Metal Catalysts on Granule Glass for Degradation of Textile Dyes as Environmental Contaminants Hamid Reza Ebrahimi Afarani Department of Chemistry, Science and Research, Campus, Islamic Azad University,Poonak, Tehran, Iran Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University-Majlessi Branch, Isfahan, Iran Abstract: Photocatalytic decolorization of azo-dyes in water has been examined in an external UV light irradiation using nanostructured of binary zincite catalyst on granule glass as a semiconductor photocatalyst. Nanostructure films of binary zincite have been prepared on granule glass by our technique. Their photocatalytic performances were tested for degradation of Azo dyes in solution under UV irradiation. The structure, surface and morphology properties of the nanostrucred zincite film on on granule glass have been investigated by XRD, SEM techniques. The results showed that the binary zincite film coated on glass surface have a very high photocatalytic performance under UV light. Key words: Nano azo dye nanostructures sol-gel chemistry catalytic properties INTRODUCTION photocatalysis has gained much attention in recent Textile industries produce large volume of colored surfactants and certain dyes has been observed to be dye effluents which are toxic and non-biodegradable. efficiently catalysed by irradiated semiconductors. In These effluents cause a lot of damage to the environment. a waste treatment application it would be simpler if the Various chemical and physical processes such as catalyst were immobilized, so the material would not have precipitation, adsorption, air stripping, flocculation, to be separated from solution. Sol-gel chemistry has reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration can be used for color recently evolved into a general and powerful approach for removal from textile effluents. Water pollution is a major preparing inorganic materials. Thin films are one of the concern in many countries. Several methods of water most important materials due to technological applications purification have been practiced since many decades. [7]. These wide variety of applications are including Semiconductor photocatalysis is a promising technique, photoluminescence and transparent semiconductor for photodegradation of various hazardous chemicals [9], photocatalyst, piezoelectricity [10] gas sensors [11] that are encountered in waste waters. The great UV light emitting devices [12, 13], varistors [14], Optical significance of this technique is that, it can degrade devices [15]. Thin films have been prepared by various (detoxify) various complex organic chemicals, which techniques, such as physical vapor deposition [16 ], has not been addressed by several other methods of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) [17] spray pyrolysis, purification. The general classes of compounds that have sputtering [18, 19 ] Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) [20] been degraded by semiconductor photocatalysis include: and sol-gel method [21-27]. One of the most important alkanes, haloalkanes, aliphatic alcohols, carboxylic acids, advantages of sol-gel processing including, conventional alkenes, aromatics, haloarornatics, polymers, surfactants, thin film deposition techniques, are the ease of chemical herbicides, pesticides and dyes. Heterogeneous composition control, low temperature annealing and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) is a method to remove homogeneous of sol solution, these advantages make low concentrations of organic contaminants [1-5]. The sol-gel processing a very attractive method especially UV light excites electrons from the valence to conduction for preparation of thin films. Thin film photocatalysts band of the semiconductor catalyst leaving holes behind. with their high photocatalytic ability, high stability, The electrons-hole pairs can initiate redox reactions with convenient reuse, have received more and more attention. surface species. The subject of semiconductor mediated However, there has been little success in finding thin film years [6]. The degradation of toxic pollutants like phenols,