Structural and photocatalytic insights into gadolinium oxide-iron oxide nanocomposites towards efficient environmental remediation

The researchers have paid considerable attention to the nanocomposites of rare-earth and metal-oxide nanostructures because of their excellent optical, attractive, and catalytic properties. The alpha-Fe2O3/Gd2O3 nanocomposites were synthesized utilizing a simple and cost-effective chemical co-precipitation method. The variation in the crystallite size and lattice parameter of synthesized nanocomposites was confirmed by XRD measurements. To get their valence states, surfaces and interfacing of materials, XPS measurement is utilized. The band gap of the materials lies in the range of 2.01 eV-2.64 eV and the estimated particle size lies in the range from 42 nm to 10 nm. Moreover, most elevated attraction appeared by the nanocomposites is 5.877 emu/g. In 90 min, the photocatalytic degradation of alpha-Fe2O3/Gd2O3 nanocomposites for Rose Bengal dye reaches up to 97.91 %. The synergistic commitment of alpha-Fe2O3 and Gd2O3, avoids photo-generated charge carrier recombination and the generation of exceedingly dynamic radical species (OH center dot and O2 center dot radicals), which is capable of the progressed photocatalytic action.