| Sains Malaysiana 51(6)(2022):
          
        1933-1944 http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5106-28
            
           
             
           Statistical Optimization of Zinc
            Oxide Nanorod Synthesis for Photocatalytic
            Degradation of Methylene Blue
            
           (Pengoptimuman Statistik Sintesis Nanorod
            Zink Oksida untuk Degradasi Fotopemangkinan Metilena Biru)
            
           
             
           AINI
            AYUNNI MOHD RAUB, JUMRIL YUNAS*, MOHD AMBRI MOHAMED, JAMAL KAZMI,
            JAENUDIN RIDWAN & AZRUL AZLAN HAMZAH
  
           
             
           Institute of
            Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi,
            Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  
           
             
           Diserahkan: 28 Februari 2022/Diterima: 12 Mei 2022
            
           
             
           Abstract
            
           In this work, synthesis process
            parameters of Zinc Oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs)
            photocatalyst is optimized using Taguchi Method to obtain the highest degradation
            rate of Methylene Blue dye, MB. The Taguchi L27 (38) orthogonal
            array technique was used to determine the optimum conditions for the synthesis
            of the nanostructured photocatalyst. Eight important synthesis process
            parameters were chosen in the analysis while the effects of the parameters were
            studied using signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio analysis using minitab-16. The ZnO NRs photocatalyst was synthesized via solution process
            route based on the parameters obtained from the layout of the orthogonal
            arrays. The optimized synthesized nanorods was then characterized using field
            emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD),
            photoluminescence (PL), ultraviolet-visible near-infrared (UV-VIS-NIR), and
            Raman spectroscopies while the photodegradation of MB was determined by UV-VIS
            spectrum analysis under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results show that ZnO NRs with hexagonal wurtzite structure and bandgap
            energy of 3.25 eV have been obtained. The Taguchi analysis based on simulated
            experimental runs predicted the highest MB degradation percentage of 17.12%
            that can be achieved under optimum process conditions. Meanwhile, experimental
            photocatalytic degradation of MB using ZnO NRs synthesized
            under the same optimum condition achieved a degradation percentage of 17.27%,
            which deviates only 0.88% from the predicted value. This analysis could give an
            approach to optimize the synthesis process to ensure the good performance of nano-photocatalyst for the photodegradation of organic
            contaminations in industrial wastewater in a short time and cost-effective process.
            
           
             
           Keywords: Hydrothermal; MB degradation;
            synthesis optimization; Taguchi; ZnO NRs
            photocatalyst
  
           
             
           Abstrak
            
           Dalam kertas
            ini, parameter proses sintesis bagi fotomangkin nanorod Zink Oksida (ZnO NRs)
            dioptimumkan menggunakan Kaedah Taguchi untuk mendapatkan kadar degradasi
            tertinggi untuk pewarna metilena biru, MB. Teknik tatasusunan ortogon Taguchi
            L27 (38) digunakan untuk menentukan keadaan optimum untuk sintesis
            fotomangkin berstruktur nano. Lapan parameter proses sintesis penting telah
            dipilih dalam analisis manakala kesan parameter dikaji menggunakan analisis
            nisbah isyarat-ke-bunyi (S/N) menggunakan minitab-16. Fotomangkin ZnO NRs telah
            disintesis melalui laluan proses penyelesaian berdasarkan parameter yang
            diperoleh daripada susun atur tatasusunan ortogon. Mikroskop elektron
            pengimbasan pelepasan medan (FESEM), pembelauan sinar-X (XRD), fotoluminesen
            (PL), inframerah-dekat sinar boleh nampak ultralembayung (UV-VIS-NIR) dan spektroskopi
            Raman manakala fotodegradasi MB ditentukan oleh analisis spektrum UV-VIS di
            bawah penyinaran cahaya ultralembayung. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa ZnO NRs
            dengan struktur wurtzite heksagon dan tenaga celah jalur sebanyak 3.25 eV telah
            diperoleh. Analisis Taguchi berdasarkan larian uji kaji simulasi meramalkan
            peratusan degradasi MB tertinggi sebanyak 17.12% boleh dicapai di bawah keadaan
            proses optimum. Sementara itu, degradasi fotokatalitik uji kaji MB menggunakan
            ZnO NRs yang disintesis di bawah keadaan optimum yang sama mencapai peratusan
            degradasi sebanyak 17.27%, yang menyimpang hanya 0.88% daripada nilai yang
            diramalkan. Analisis ini boleh memberi pendekatan dalam mengoptimumkan proses
            sintesis untuk memastikan prestasi nano-fotomangkin yang baik untuk
            fotodegradasi pencemaran organik dalam air sisa industri dalam masa yang
            singkat dan kos efektif.
            
           
             
           Kata kunci: Degradasi MB;
            fotomangkin ZnO NRs; hidroterma; pengoptimuman sintesis; Taguchi
            
           
             
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           *Pengarang
            untuk surat-menyurat email: jumrilyunas@ukm.edu.my
  
           
            
            
          
           
          
             
        
        
         
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