Exploration of the Structural, Optical, andPhotocatalyticCharacteristics of Gd-Doped NiO Nanoparticles

Abstract

This study focused on environmental remediation by degrading water pollutants, specifically methylene blue and methyl orange dyes. We synthesized Ni0.1-xGdxO (x = 0, 0.001, 0.003) nanoparticles using a chemical coprecipitation method, with PVP serving as a capping agent to stabilize the nanoparticles and prevent agglomeration during synthesis.The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction results indicated the formation of a cubic (fcc) structure with an average size ranging from 14.16 nm to 10.84 nm for pure and Gd-doped NiO nanoparticles. UV-VIS spectroscopy analysis revealed band gap energy values varying from 3.00 eV to 2.80 eV for pure and Gd-doped NiO nanoparticles. FTIR spectroscopy identified the functional groups present in the prepared nanoparticles. TEM and SEM analyses showed that the nanoparticles had a quasi-spherical shape.The photocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles was evaluated by degrading methylene blue and methyl orange dyes, achieving degradation efficiencies of 80.06% and 87.47%, respectively, under UV light irradiation. The results demonstrated that the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of Gd-doped NiO nanoparticles was higher than that of pure NiO nanoparticles.