Characterization of undoped and additive nio / activated carbon nanoparticles and analysis of the photocatalytic properties

Solid materials are divided into 3 according to their electricity conduction status. These are examined as conductors, semiconductors and insulators. Semiconductors have an important place in this grouping. The reason why it is important is that when semiconductors, which are insulators at absolute temperature (T = 0 Kelvin), are exposed to external influences (temperature, pressure, electron bombardment, etc.), their conductivity potential can be changed. Semiconductors are among the technologies gaining importance and developing rapidly in the 21st century. Nano-structured materials with sizes in the range of 0-100 nm show different optical and electronic properties when compared to those in bulk. Therefore, nanostructured materials have attracted the attention of researchers and are widely used in scientific applications. Nanotechnology has been used in many fields such as textile, health, space and communication. Another area of use of semiconductors in nanostructure, in the removal of organic pollutants, is being studied as a semiconductor photocatalyst. Studies have revealed that doping in semiconductors causes changes in the optical and electronic properties of matter. Therefore, there is a trend towards determining the best doping amount and inexpensive production methods. There are many methods used in the synthesis of semiconductor materials. The chemical precipitation method listed under the bottom-up approach is an economical and practical method. For this reason, it was preferred in the synthesis of semiconductor materials in this thesis study. In addition to the metals added (Fe, Cu, Co), activated carbon, an important adsorbent, was also used. It is a p-type doped semiconductor with a wide range of applications, NiO (3.6-4 eV). However, studies of its use as a photocatalyst are not available. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the photocatalytic activation of the additives and the NiO semiconductor supported by activated carbon, and the structural, morphological and dimensional analysis of these substances were made.