INDIUM-ZINC-OXIDE NANOCRYSTALLITES: PREPARATION, PROPERTIES AND VISIBLE-LIGHT-GENERATED PHOTOCAT ALYTIC EFFICIENCY IN DEGRADATION OF PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS FROM WATER SYSTEMS

In this work, we studied the structure, band gap, particle size, and morphology of the indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) nanocrystalline powders (NCPs) prepared via solid-state method. Materials characterization was performed by using a variety of techniques (XRD, Raman, SEM-EDS, and UV-Vis). The estimated values of the optical band gaps of the obtained IZO NCPs indicated a possibility of their photocatalytic activity under solar irradiation. According to this, the efficiency of the obtained NCPs as photocatalysts in the degradation of alprazolam and amitriptyline, the active components one of the most prescribed psychoactive drugs nowadays, under simulated solar irradiation, was explored.