Sonochemical synthesis of CZTS photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of phthalic acid

(CZTS) photocatalyst is prepared by simple, cost effective, sonochemical method and used for photocatalytic degradation of phthalic acid. The ultrasonic treatment affects the structural, morphological, optical, contact angle properties of CZTS photocatalyst. The XRD and FT-Raman spectroscopy study shows the formation of a single phase CZTS with kesterite structure. SEM analysis reveals nano-spherical architecture with pinhole and crake free surface. The optical study shows that band gap energy lies in the visible region of the solar spectrum and useful for visible light assisted photocatalysis. The end results show that the CZTS photocatalyst exhibited about 56% degradation of phthalic acid under sunlight illumination. The mineralization study of phthalic acid is done by determining chemical oxygen demand (COD) values.