Popa Adriana, Stefan Maria, Macavei Sergiu, Muresan Laura Elena, Leostean Cristian, Floare-Avram Cornelia Veronica, Toloman Dana
National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67-103 Donat, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Raluca Ripan Institute for Research in Chemistry, Babes-Bolyai University, 30 Fântânele, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Materials (Basel). 2023 Apr 3;16(7):2858. doi: 10.3390/ma16072858.
The present work reports the photoluminescence (PL) and photocatalytic properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated with Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles. MWCNT:ZnO-Fe nanocomposite samples with weight ratios of 1:3, 1:5 and 1:10 were prepared using a facile synthesis method. The obtained crystalline phases were evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed the presence of both 2+ and 3+ valence states of Fe ions in a ratio of approximately 0.5. The electron paramagnetic resonance EPR spectroscopy sustained the presence of Fe ions in the ZnO lattice and evidenced oxygen vacancies. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed the attachment and distribution of Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles along the nanotubes with a star-like shape. All of the samples exhibited absorption in the UV region, and the absorption edge was shifted toward a higher wavelength after the addition of MWCNT component. The photoluminescence emission spectra showed peaks in the UV and visible region. Visible emissions are a result of the presence of defects or impurity states in the material. All of the samples showed photocatalytic activity against the Rhodamine B (RhB) synthetic solution under UV irradiation. The best performance was obtained using the MWCNT:ZnO-Fe(1:5) nanocomposite samples, which exhibited a 96% degradation efficiency. The mechanism of photocatalytic activity was explained based on the reactive oxygen species generated by the nanocomposites under UV irradiation in correlation with the structural and optical information obtained in this study.
本工作报道了用铁掺杂的氧化锌纳米颗粒修饰的多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)的光致发光(PL)和光催化性能。采用简便的合成方法制备了重量比为1:3、1:5和1:10的MWCNT:ZnO-Fe纳米复合样品。通过X射线衍射(XRD)证实了所获得的晶相。X射线光电子能谱(XPS)显示Fe离子的2+和3+价态均存在,比例约为0.5。电子顺磁共振(EPR)光谱证实了ZnO晶格中存在Fe离子,并证明了氧空位的存在。透射电子显微镜(TEM)图像显示铁掺杂的ZnO纳米颗粒以星状附着并分布在纳米管上。所有样品在紫外区域均有吸收,添加MWCNT组分后吸收边缘向更高波长移动。光致发光发射光谱在紫外和可见光区域均有峰。可见光发射是材料中存在缺陷或杂质态的结果。所有样品在紫外光照射下对罗丹明B(RhB)合成溶液均表现出光催化活性。使用MWCNT:ZnO-Fe(1:5)纳米复合样品获得了最佳性能,其降解效率为96%。基于纳米复合材料在紫外光照射下产生的活性氧物种,并结合本研究获得的结构和光学信息,解释了光催化活性的机理。