Efficient photocatalysis of Zn1-2xEuxDyxO nanoparticles towards the degradation of hazardous Rhodamine B dye

Abstract

Industrial waste is the principal source of highly toxic organic and heavy metals. Treating such effluence is highly required to provide a clean ecosystem for living organisms. Photocatalysis is one of the most efficient, economical, and time-efficient ways for the removal of industrial wastes. In the current search, we propose to prepare a series of Zn1-2xEuxDyxO samples (x = 0.00–0.05), using the simple sol-gel auto-combustion route. The XRD results indicated a hexagonal structure for all samples. The presence of europium and dysprosium elements and their successful doping into the ZnO were proved by XRD and EDX analyses. The mean crystallite size and the values of band gap energy were altered by the Eu and Dy doping. The photocatalytic action of Zn1-2xEuxDyxO samples was assessed for Rhodamine B degradation. The experiments indicated a degradation with an efficiency of 99.1%, 95.1%, and 97.4% for Zn0.98Eu0.01Dy0.01O, Zn0.94Eu0.03Dy0.03O, and Zn0.90Eu0.051Dy0.05O samples, respectively within 90 min. The Zn0.98Eu0.01Dy0.01O sample exhibited the maximum photocatalytic efficiency with an excellent rate constant (r = 0.054 min−1) among all samples. The obtained findings demonstrated that the Eu and Dy co-doping at a specific concentration is a useful way to reach an effective photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles.