High-efficient photocatalytic degradation of industrial dyes (MB, RhD, and MB/RhD) using Zn100−xSmxO nanoparticles

Abstract

Dyes are commonly used in industry, but disposing of them after use is a serious issue as many toxic dyes end up in wastewater. Our paper aims to address this problem by utilizing Zn100−xSmxO (where x = 0, 2.5, 5, and 10) nanoparticles as a cost-effective and easily produced photocatalyst to break down common industrial dyes such as Methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB), and a mixture of both. We characterized the nanoparticles using various techniques such as x-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Transmission electron microscope. Our analysis confirmed that the Zn100−xSmxO nanoparticles have a single hexagonal phase and a regular shape, with a size of 50 nm. We found that the doping ratio of our fabricated material affects its absorption and energy gap, with Eg decreasing from 2.95 to 2.78 eV as the doping ratio increased. We evaluated the photocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles for the three types of dyes and found that Zn95Sm5O had an efficiency of approximately 80%. Zn95Sm5O was also able to adsorb 68% RhB and 67% MB in the MB-RhB mixture solution. Furthermore, we determined that the degradation of both dyes followed a pseudo-first-order reaction process.