Fabrication of La, Ce co-doped ZnO nanorods for improving photodegradation of methylene blue

作者：Zaid, Erfan Hakim Azmal; Sin, Jin-Chung^*; Lam, Sze-Mun; Mohamed, Abdul Rahman^*

来源：JOURNAL OF RARE EARTHS, 2024, 42(1): 76-83.

DOI：10.1016/j.jre.2023.02.001

• ZnO
• Lanthanum
• Cerium
• Co -doping
• Photodegradation
• Rare earths

La, Ce co-doped ZnO nanorods (ZnLC) were synthesized through a one-step solvothermal route. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The La and Ce doping enhanced the visible light absorption ability of ZnLC and a red shift was detected for ZnLC. Under simulated solar light irradiation, the ZnO doped with 3 at% La and 1 at% Ce (ZnLC1) degrades methylene blue (MB) more effectively than those of pure ZnO, La-doped ZnO (ZnL) and commercially available ZnO. The improved photocatalytic performance of ZnLC1 can be attributed to the high charge separation efficiency as demonstrated by the photoluminescence spectra. Additionally, the photocatalytic experiments reveal that several parameters have their own impact on the MB degradation. Using a variety of radical scavengers, it is discovered that superoxide anion radical plays a crucial role in the degradation of MB. The ZnLC1 is also reused several times without noticeable decrease of photoactivity, indicating that it has a substantial potential for environmental remediation applications.

• 单位
  桂林理工大学