Growth, structural and optical properties of ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites and their photocatalytic activity under sunlight irradiation

[Display omitted] •ZnMgO nanoparticles were successfully prepared via solgel method.•Structural and optical properties of ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites were investigated.•High photocatalytic activity of ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites is seen under sun light irradiation.•The presence of high amount of M...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Materials research bulletin Vol. 110; pp. 230 - 238
Main Authors:	Abed, Chayma, Ali, Monaam Ben, Addad, Ahmad, Elhouichet, Habib
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2019
Subjects:	Optical properties Photocatalysis Sol-gel method ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites Sol-gel method Optical properties Photocatalysis
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Summary:	[Display omitted] •ZnMgO nanoparticles were successfully prepared via solgel method.•Structural and optical properties of ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites were investigated.•High photocatalytic activity of ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites is seen under sun light irradiation.•The presence of high amount of MgO blocked the process of charge transfer. ZnO-ZnMgO-MgO nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized using the sol-gel method. An enlargement, with Mg content, of the XRD band relative to (002) diffraction revealed the formation of ZnMgO phase. HRTEM images prove the formation of ZnO and MgO nanocrystals. Raman spectrum show a weakened surface vibration and broadened LO peak with high Mg concentration. UV–vis measurements demonstrate the appearance of double band gap relatives to ZnO and ZnMgO phases. A high sensitivity of the UV emission band to Mg content was detected through the PL analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated for aqueous Rhodamine B solution under sunlight irradiation. ZnO-ZnMgO-MgOnanocomposites with of 20% of Mg content display the best activity with a full degradation after 80 min of irradiance. The present work could provide an easy and low-cost way for the fabrication, high efficiency of ZnO-MgOphotocatalyst with the appearance of the ternary alloy ZnMgO phase.
ISSN:	0025-5408 1873-4227
DOI:	10.1016/j.materresbull.2018.10.041