Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of toxic contaminants using Dy2O3-SiO2 ceramic nanostructured materials fabricated by a new, simple and rapid sonochemical approach

Autor: Kamran Mahdavi, Sahar Zinatloo-Ajabshir, Qahtan A. Yousif, Masoud Salavati-Niasari
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, Vol 82, Iss, Pp 105892-(2022)
ISSN: 1873-2828
1350-4177
Popis: Graphical abstract
Highlights • Introducing a facile sonochemical approach for the efficient preparation of new photocatalytic nanocomposites (Dy2O3-SiO2). • Remarkable effect of SiO2 on improving photocatalytic performance of Dy2O3. • Excellent photocatalytic performance of sonochemically fabricated Dy2O3-SiO2 nanocomposite in removal of organic pollutants under sunlight, for the first time. • Enhanced optical absorption and having a high specific surface area were responsible for enhanced photocatalytic performance. • Significant effect of sonication on the synthesis of high-performance binary Dy2O3-SiO2 nanophotocatalys.
The present study is on the fabrication of new photocatalytic nanocomposites (Dy2O3-SiO2) employing a basic agent, tetraethylenepentamine (Tetrene), through a simple, efficient and, quick sonochemical approach. The features of the fabricated photocatalytic nanocomposite were examined employing a variety of microscopic and spectroscopic methods such as XRD, EDS, TEM, FTIR, DRS, and FESEM. The outcomes of morphological studies demonstrated that by proper tuning of sonication time and ultrasonic power (10 min and 400 W), a porous nanocomposite composed of sphere-shaped nanoparticles with a particle size in the range of 20 to 60 nm could be fabricated. The energy gap for the binary Dy2O3-SiO2 nanophotocatalyst was determined to be 3.41 eV, making these nanocomposite favorable for removing contaminants. The photocatalytic performance of the optimal nanocomposite sample was tested for photodecomposition of several contaminants including erythrosine, thymol blue, eriochrome black T, Acid Red 14, methyl orange, malachite green, and Rhodamine B. The binary Dy2O3-SiO2 nanophotocatalyst exhibited superior efficiency toward the decomposition of the studied contaminants. It was able to degrade the erythrosine pollutant more effectively (92.9%). Optimization studies for the photocatalytic decomposition of each contaminant demonstrated that the best performance could be achieved at a specific amount of contaminant and nanocatalyst. Trapping experiments illustrated that hydroxyl radicals were more effectively involved in the decomposition of contaminant molecules by Dy2O3-SiO2 nanophotocatalyst.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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