Photocatalytic rendition of Zn2+-doped Bi2O3 nanoparticles

The present work analyzes the photocatalytic activity of Bi2O3 in the pure and Zn2+-doped forms in the degradation of the organic dye methylene blue (MB) under solar light irradiation. For this study, nanoparticles of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) and different levels of Zn2+-doped Bi2O3 were prepared by a simple chemical precipitation method. The phase form of Bi2O3 is confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The optical properties of the samples were studied by UV-vis-Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The morphologies of the products were visualized under a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The degradation profile reveals that Bi2O3 doped with the optimum level of zinc is known to have an excellent catalytic activity owing to the electron trapping-detrapping process of the solar cell.