Ce-doped ZnO nanonails synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation method for photocatalytic degradation

One-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials have garnered significant scientific and technological attention due to their potential applications in electronics devices, gas sensing, energy conversion, and photocatalysis. However, the development of a simple and low-cost technique for 1D nanostructure synthesis remains a challenge. The doping of ZnO nanostructures has proven to be an effective way to improve their internal properties. In this work, one-dimensional ZnO and Ce-doped ZnO nanorods and nanonails were synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation method using different weight ratios of ZnS and CeO2 precursor powders in a catalyst-free process. The effects of cerium doping concentration on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were investigated. XRD analysis confirmed that the crystal structure was converted from the cubic ZnS phase to the hexagonal ZnO phase with increasing annealing temperatures. The UV-Vis spectra showed that the optical absorption edge of Ce-doped ZnO samples was slightly red-shifted. Additionally, the band gap energy decreases with increasing cerium concentration. SEM images showed that the morphology of the structures obtained changed from nanorods to nanonails as the Ce content increased. The incorporation of Ce ions into the ZnO matrix has been successfully confirmed by HRTEM, Raman, and EDX analysis. Photocatalytic activity studies showed that Ce-doped ZnO samples exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance compared to pure ZnO for the degradation of rhodamine B under UV radiation. These results may suggest the use of heterogeneous photocatalysis as an efficient, cheap, and environment-friendly alternative for the removal of pollutants from water and the use of Ce-doped ZnO as a promising candidate.