Modified zno nanoparticles using iron ions (Fe3+) for photo-catalytic degradation of toxic pollutants under sunlight

Abstract

The optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles were modified using various dopant concentrations of iron (Fe3+) via a sol-gel method. To investigate of ZnO nanoparticles, the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and photoluminscence (PL) were applied. The results showed that ZnO has a wurtzite, hexagonal structure and that the Fe3+ ions were well incorporated into the ZnO crystal lattice. As the Fe3+ concentration increased from 0.25 to 1.00 wt. %, the crystal size decreased in comparison with the undoped ZnO. The spectral absorption shifts of the visible light region (red shift) and the band gap decreased for each Fe-ZnO sample. The photoluminescence results showed a clearly deep level emission in the visible region. The photocatalytic activities of pure ZnO and Fe-ZnO samples were evaluated based on the degradation of 2-chlorophenol in an aqueous solution under the sunlight. The samples with a small concentration of Fe3+ ions showed enhanced photocatalytic activity with an optimal maximum performance at 0.5 wt. %. The results indicated that toxicity removal of 2-chlorophenol at same line of the degradation efficiency. Small crystallite size and low band gap were attributed to high activities of Fe-ZnO samples under various concentrations of Fe3+ ions compared to undoped ZnO. - 2019 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.