resumo
Industrial dye contamination in wastewater poses significant environmental challenges, necessitating the development of efficient photocatalysts for degradation. In this work, we investigate the In doping effect in the photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles for effective RhB degradation. Indium-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized via sol-gel method and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a wurtzite hexagonal structure, with the crystallite size being varying from 65 nm to 53 nm with the introduction of In content. XPS measurements on the 3% In-doped ZnO sample revealed distinct core level spectra for In 3d, Zn 2p, and O 1s regions, confirming the presence of indium, zinc, and oxygen. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis revealed increased surface area and pore size, with specific surface areas escalating from 0.9 m(2)/g for pure ZnO to 10.1 m(2)/g for 3% indium-doped ZnO. Photocatalytic experiments exhibited significant RhB degradation, with degradation efficiencies reaching 93% for 3% indium-doped ZnO under visible light irradiation due to the effect of the presence of In, which causing light absorption enhancement, narrow the band gap and improve charge carrier separation. These findings underscore the potential of indium-doped ZnO nanoparticles as efficient and sustainable photocatalysts for wastewater treatment, offering a promising avenue to address environmental challenges associated with industrial dye-contaminated effluents. Sol-gel synthesis of Indium-doped ZnO offers a scalable method for effective photocatalysts in wastewater treatment.Achieved 93% Rhodamine B degradation with Indium-doped ZnO nanoparticles under visible light.XRD analysis showed a reduction in crystallite size from 65 nm (pure ZnO) to 53 nm (3% In-doped ZnO).BET surface area increased from 0.9 m(2)/g (pure ZnO) to 10.1 m(2)/g (3% In-doped ZnO).UV-Vis spectroscopy indicated a reduced band gap in Indium doped ZnO (3.19 eV).TGA analysis highlighted improved thermal stability in Indium doped ZnO nanoparticles.
palavras-chave
TIO2 NANOTUBE ARRAYS; ZNO NANOPARTICLES; ORGANIC-DYES; PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION; CU; NANOCOMPOSITE; REDUCTION; FACILE; METALS; FTIR
categoria
Materials Science
autores
Benamara, M; Nassar, KI; Essid, M; Frick, S; Rugmini, R; Sekhar, KC; Silva, JPB
nossos autores
Kais Iben Nassar
Bolseiro de pós-Doutoramentoagradecimentos
This work was also supported by: (i) the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding Contracts UIDB/04650/2020. JPBS also thanks FCT for the contract under the Institutional Call to ScientificEmployment Stimulus-2021 Call (CEECINST/00018/2021). Bena-mara, Majdi was a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship holder for the academic years 2023-2024 (ESKAS No. 2023.0447). The author KCS acknowledged CSIR and UGC, New Delhi, India for financial support through grant no.03/1485/23/EMR-II and No.F.4-5(59)/2014(BSR)(FRP) respectively. Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on).