Sonochemical synthesis and characterization of holmium stannate nanostructures and their application as photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants under simulated sunlight

Abstract

Manufactured coloring agents are present in our life since they exist in different derivatives varying from furniture to leather accessories to clothes. These toxic combinations are the main components of industrial waste. Diverse techniques have been designed to withdraw organic pollutants from nature. In the present work, an environmentally friendly sonochemical procedure was performed to obtain holmium stannate (Ho2Sn2O7) nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic performance. The effect of sonication time and power was studied on the structure, morphology, and purity. Ho2Sn2O7 were used as a photocatalyst in the UV area due to its suitable bandgap (3.9 eV). The photocatalytic tests indicate that Ho2Sn2O7 nanostructures can degrade organic dyes, such as Eriochrome Black T (ECBT), malachite green (MG), and rhodamine B (RhB) in high values. Therefore, the degradation rate is 95.0% under ideal circumstances, which include 100 mg of catalyst and 10 ppm ECBT. According to the kinetics study, the superior rate constant (k = 0.0198 min−1) results in the maximum photocatalytic efficiency (95.0%). Superoxide radicals (O2•−) and holes (h+) were found to be the most active radicals implicated in the degradation of ECBT and erythrosine by the scavenger's test.