Preparation of Mn-doped ZnO nanostructured for photocatalytic degradation of Orange G under solar light

Abstract

In this study, undoped ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO nanostructured with different doping concentrations were prepared through a facile chemical method. Then, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) techniques were used to characterize the samples. The XRD patterns demonstrated that the synthesized powders had hexagonal wurtzite structure and partial Mn loads on the surface of ZnO. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were investigated by the degradation of orange G solution under sunlight irradiation. The results demonstrated that doping Mn greatly improved the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO and 6 % Mn-doped ZnO nanostructured exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity under an irradiation time of 1 h. The effect of operating parameters such as amount of catalyst, initial pH, and the initial dye concentration on the rate of dye degradation using 6 % Mn-doped ZnO nanostructured was studied. Under the optimum operation conditions, approximately 94 % dye removal was achieved after 1 h of irradiation.