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. 2022 May 10;7(20):17223-17233.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c01090. eCollection 2022 May 24.

High-Efficacy Hierarchical Dy2O3/TiO2 Nanoflower toward Wastewater Reclamation: A Combined Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Strategy

Mahmoud M Kaid  1 , Abdelrahman S Khder  1   2 , Saleh A Ahmed  2   3 , Amr A Ibrahim  1 , Hatem M Altass  2 , Reem I Alsantali  4 , Rabab S Jassas  5 , Menna A Khder  1 , Munirah M Al-Rooqi  2 , Ziad Moussa  6 , Awad I Ahmed  1
Affiliations

High-Efficacy Hierarchical Dy2O3/TiO2 Nanoflower toward Wastewater Reclamation: A Combined Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Strategy

Mahmoud M Kaid et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

Developing a sustainable photocatalyst is crucial to mitigate the foreseeable energy shortage and environmental pollution caused by the rapid advancement of global industry. We developed Dy2O3/TiO2 nanoflower (TNF) with a hierarchical nanoflower structure and a near-ideal anatase crystallite morphology to degrade aqueous rhodamine B solution under simulated solar light irradiation. The prepared photocatalyst was well-characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Further analysis was performed to highlight the photoelectrochemical activity of the prepared photocatalysts such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, photocurrent response, and a Mott-Schottky study. The crystalline Dy2O3/TNF exhibits superb photocatalytic activity attributed to the improved charge transfer, reduced recombination rate of the electron-hole pairs, and a remarkable red-shift in light absorption.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) XRD and (b) FT-IR of some selected samples calcined at 700 °C.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a, b) SEM, (c–f) EDS-mapping, and (g–i) TEM images of Dy2O3/TNF.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a–d) XPS and (e) EDS analysis of Dy2O3/TNF.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) I-t and (b) J-v curves of as-prepared photocatalysts measured at a bias potential of 0 V vs Ag/AgCl under 1 Sun illumination (100 mW/cm2) in 0.5 M Na2SO4 solution, (c) MS, and (d) EIS plots.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Photocatalytic efficiency, (b) kinetic rates of RhB degradation using TNF and Dy2O3/TNF photocatalysts, (c) reusability of Dy2O3/TNF for photodegradation of RhB dye, and (d) photocatalytic performance of Dy2O3/TNF in the presence of different scavengers.
Scheme 1
Scheme 1. Proposed Photodegradation Mechanism of RhB Wastewater Treatment Using Dy2O3/TNF Photocatalyst
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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