Open AccessPhotocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye by Using Tin-Doped CeO2-Fe2O3 Nanocomposite
Author(s) -
Hamza S. Al-Shehri,
Munfis Patel,
Shiv Alwera,
V.S. Talismanov,
Vijay Alwera,
Romulo R. Macadangdang
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
asian journal of chemistry/asian journal of chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 0975-427X
pISSN - 0970-7077
DOI - 10.14233/ajchem.2022.23578
Subject(s) - rhodamine b , photocatalysis , chemistry , photochemistry , catalysis , degradation (telecommunications) , rhodamine , nuclear chemistry , chemical engineering , fluorescence , organic chemistry , optics , telecommunications , physics , computer science , engineering
Organic dyes are frequently used in various industries such as textiles, medicines, plastics, etc. andcontribute as a major source of environmental pollutants, which leads to harmful effects on livings.Therefore, in this study, a Sn-doped CeO2-Fe2O3 photocatalyst was synthesized using the thermaldecomposition method and applied for the effective degradation and removal of rhodamine B dyeunder solar irradiation. The as-synthesized catalyst was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction(XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) andUV-vis diffuse reflectance (UV-vis DRS) techniques. The particle size of the photocatalyst was found1-2 μm with a high surface area. The band gap energies of the catalyst narrowed to 2.2 eV after the Sndoping. The doping of Sn4+ ions into CeO2 lattice leads to the enhanced photocatalytic activity ofCeO2-Fe2O3 composite by modified the Fermi levels of catalyst. The catalyst has shown a fastdegradation rate under solar irradiance and is able to perform complete degradation of rhodamine Bdye. The photocatalyst showed the COD removal up to 96% from the dye solution. Further, the scavengertest revealed the active species hydroxyl (•OH) and superoxide (O2•−) radical are involved in thedegradation of rhodamine B dye. The complete degradation of rhodamine B dye was studied andconfirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography. A plausible mechanism is proposed for thedegradation process and charge transfer during the degradation.