Abstract

Herein, various morphologies of AlOOH (boehmite) nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route. The obtained AlOOH nanostructures were utilized as a novel starting reagent with AgNO3 and cochineal powder for synthesizing Ag-Al2O3 nanocomposites via a thermal decomposition method. The prepared nanocomposites were applied as photocatalyst for decolorization of acid violet 7 as an azo dye under visible light irradiation. The results showed the rice-like sample (A3) has the highest photodegradation efficiency due to its more surface to volume ratio. Moreover, the synthesized AlOOH nanostructures were directly calcined to transform into rice-like Al2O3 nanostructures as an adsorbent for Pb2+ ions removing from aqueous medium. The rice-like Al2O3 (sample B3) as an adsorbent showed a remarkable adsorption capacity (250 mg/g) compared to other samples with different morphologies.