Abstract
In the present report, synthesis of pure, Nd-doped (1 wt.%) and Nd/Sm (1 wt.%) co-doped Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanoparticles (NPs) by using simple co-precipitation method. PXRD pattern of all the synthesized samples exposes the hexagonal crystal structure of ZnO NPs without any impurity. The various functional groups presented in the synthesized samples were analyzed by FT-IR studies. From UV-Vis DRS spectra, the band gap was found to be 2.81 eV, 2.90 and 3.10 eV respectively for pure, Nd-doped and Nd-Sm co-doped ZnO NPs. PL spectrum displays the broad emission at 393and 450 nm for all the synthesized samples. The agglomeration of flower-like morphology of pure ZnO NPs, flake-like structure of Nd-doped and rod-like morphology of Nd/Sm co-doped ZnO NPs were examined by SEM. Photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples for dye degradation of Acid Orange 7 (AO-7) and Acid Red 13 (AR-13) was studied under UV light. The result revealed that, the Nd/Sm co-doped ZnO NPs found to have efficient degradation candidate materials.
Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity of lanthanum and vanadium co-doped mesoporous TiO2 for azo-dye degradation