Facile green synthesis of Zn doped MoO3 nanoparticles and its photocatalytic and photoluminescence studies

Abstract

In the field of nanoscience, the use of plant components for the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is currently gaining popularity and has several advantages over physicochemical methods. Murraya koenigii (MK) leaf powder was used as the green fuel in the effective synthesis of the Zinc-doped molybdenum trioxide (Zn-MoO3) NPs by the green combustion method. The green synthesized NPs were characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDAX, UV–Vis and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy techniques. The XRD pattern revealed the presence of an orthorhombic phase. The Tauc relation was used to calculate the energy band gap value of the samples found to be between 2.9 and 3.1 eV. The prepared NPs emit cyan light. Latent fingerprint analysis has revealed more distinct patterns in the near UV region (365 nm) and is useful in forensic investigations. The Rose Bengal (RB) dye degradation experiments are carried out under UV light exposure. Zn-MoO3 NPs have greater degradation efficiency than pure MoO3 NPs. Up to 99 % dye degradation is achieved in 150 min. After 3 photocatalysis cycles, the recycling test detects only an 8% decrease in photocatalyst efficiency. The obtained results proved that Zn-doped MoO3 NPs are the most suitable photocatalyst for RB degradation.