Enhanced photo-physical properties and photocatalytic potential of hydrothermally synthesized ZnS nanoparticles through La(III)-doping
摘要
Current work reports the hydrothermal synthesis of ZnS and La-doped ZnS nanoparticles with different doping concentrations (0.5, 1%, 2.5%, and 5%). Pure ZnS nanoparticles exhibited a cubic phase as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, whereas doped ZnS nanoparticles underwent a phase transition to wurtzite, further supported by Raman spectroscopy. The size form distribution of the nanoparticles was revealed by morphological analyses conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The existence of the required elements was verified using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). An ideal degradation efficiency of 94% was achieved for MB dye at a 1% doping concentration, as evaluated by the nanoparticles’ photocatalytic activity under visible light. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra did not reveal any transitions related to the dopant. Although no dopant-specific transitions were seen in the PL spectra, the overall luminous behavior of the nanoparticles may be impacted by the host material’s luminosity. These results offer insightful information on the possible uses of these nanoparticles in optoelectronics and other domains, including photocatalysis.