Synthesis of Pr-doped ZnO nanoparticles: Their structural,optical, and photocatalytic properties

Undoped and praseodymium-doped zinc oxide(Pr-doped ZnO)(with 2.0-mol%–6.0-mol% Pr) nanoparticles as sunlight-driven photocatalysts are synthesized by means of co-precipitation with nitrates followed by thermal annealing.The structure, morphology, and chemical bonding of the photocatalysts are studied by x-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) with energy dispersive x-ray emission spectroscopy(EDS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), respectively. The optical properties are studied by photoluminescence(PL) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(UV-vis DRS). We find that Pr doping does not change the crystallinity of ZnO; but it reduces the bandgap slightly, and restrains the recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The photocatalytic performance of the photocatalysts is investigated by the photodegradation reaction of 10-mg/L rhodamine B(RhB) solution under simulated sunlight irradiation, showing a degradation rate of 93.75% in ZnO doped with6.0-mol% Pr.