Ce and Gd doped ZnO nanorods: A study on structural, optical, and photocatalytic enhancements

Sakar N., Akalın S. A., Yavas A., Zeyrek M., Kose P., Oguzlar S.

JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, cilt.1021, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 1021
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179672
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, PASCAL, Aerospace Database, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, INSPEC, Metadex, Public Affairs Index, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: ZnO, Ce and Gd doping, Thermal decomposition, Optical properties, Photocatalytic
  • Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Methylene Blue (MB) is a common organic dye widely used in many fields, such as textile, food, medicine, and biological research. But it has a detrimental impact on the environment and ecosystem. Rare-earth metals (REMs) doped ZnO photocatalysts can convert MB into harmless compounds effectively under light. In this paper, the effects of REMs on the structure, morphology, optical properties, and photocatalytic activity of pristine ZnO, Cedoped ZnO (ZnO:Ce), Gd-doped (ZnO:Gd), and Ce, Gd co-doped (ZnO:Ce,Gd) were studied. The photocatalysts of ZnO, ZnO:Ce, ZnO:Gd, and ZnO:Ce,Gd were synthesized via thermal decomposition and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier- transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible absorption (UV-vis), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The pristine and REMs-doped ZnO have nanorod morphology and a hexagonal wurtzite structure. Comparing the degradation performance of MB under visible light irradiation for pristine, single, or co-doped ZnO nanorods, it was found that Ce or Gd as a single dopant, enhanced the photocatalytic performance. However, ZnO:Ce,Gd (3 %, 3 %) showed the greatest photocatalytic performance due to the synergistic interaction between Ce and Gd ions. ZnO:Ce,Gd exhibited the highest degradation efficiency, reaching approximately 95 % degradation within 90 min. The improved efficiency suggests that the ZnO:Ce,Gd photocatalysts may be useful for the degradation of organic pollutants.