Abstract
Nanocrystalline Zr1-xGdxO2 (0≤x ≤ 0.20) samples were synthesized through the sol-gel combustion process and characterized by various characterization techniques.XRDanalysis confirms a highly crystalline tetragonal phase with P42/nmc space group. TEM micrographs exhibitreduction in particle size on Gd doping. Photoluminescence (PL) study shows improved light absorption ability of the Gd-doped ZrO2, signifying an excellent way to control the recombination rate of electron-hole pair. XPS analysis ensures the successful incorporation of Gd in the ZrO2 lattice. Room temperature magnetic measurements revealthe ferromagnetic nature of all the samples. The UV-visible spectroscopy shows increase in band gap from 3.82 eV to 4.45 eV. The dielectric constant varies significantly for the Gd-doped samples. All the prepared catalysts were tested for the photocatalytic activity of the methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation. After 120 minutes, 20% Gd-doped ZrO2displays∼91% degradation efficiency against the MB dye, which makes it a promising visible light-activated photocatalyst.
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