Structural and Optical Properties of LaPO4 Nanostructures by the Hydrothermal Process and Its Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

In the present work, comparative studies of the physico-chemical properties of pure, Eu and Ce-doped LaPO4 nanostructures have been investigated. The pure, Eu- and Ce-doped LaPO4 nanostructures were prepared by taking a cationic precursor (lanthanum nitrate), an anionic precursor (orthophosphoric acid) and carbinol (methanol) as a solvent by the hydrothermal method. The crystal structure, vibrational, morphological, compositional and optical behavior of the as-prepared LaPO4 samples was investigated by the powder XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDX, TEM, UV–Visible and PL studies. From XRD patterns, the monoclinic structure was observed for the prepared LaPO4 samples. The optical bandgap energy of the pure, Eu- and Ce-doped LaPO4 samples were larger than that of the bulk LaPO4. The PL emission spectra of the LaPO4 samples were observed in the UV region. In addition, degradation of the Ce-doped LaPO4 sample was investigated and collected at various time intervals using MeB dye.