Pd-doped In2O3 nanocomposites for the photocatalytic degradation of atrazine

Palladium-doped indium oxide nanocomposites were prepared by a sol-gel method using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as a surfactant. Many tools were used to describe the synthesized nanocomposites. The X-ray diffraction results reveal that only a single phase for In2O3 is observed for undoped or doped In2O3 samples. There are no characteristic peaks for palladium or palladium oxide because the dispersion of palladium above the indium oxide surface is high. XPS results reveal that the state of palladium is metallic. The values of band gap energy for indium oxide, 0.1 wt% palladium-doped indium oxide, 0.2 wt % palladium-doped indium oxide, 0.3 wt% palladium-doped indium oxide and 0.4 wt% palladium-doped indium oxide samples are 2.68, 2.51, 2.41, 2.32 and 2.25 eV, respectively. Therefore, the band gap energy of In2O3 can be controlled by controlling the weight percentage of doped palladium. The photocatalytic performance of In2O3 and Pd-doped In2O3 nanocomposites was studied by measuring atrazine photocatalytic degradation under visible light. Parameters of photocatalytic reactions, such as palladium weight percentage and dose of 0.3 wt% palladium-doped indium oxide nanocomposites, were measured. The palladium-doped indium oxide nanocomposites had photocatalytic activity higher than that of In2O3 because the addition of Pd to In2O3 decreases the recombination rate of the electron-hole; furthermore, the absorption of In2O3 was shifted to a high wavelength.