Novel (Y2O3) x (CdO) 1-x binary mixed oxide nanocomposites: facile synthesis, characterization, and photocatalysis enhancement

Abstract

In the current study, novel (Y2O3) x (CdO) 1-x mixed oxides nanocomposites (NCs) with different Y2O3 loadings (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) have been synthesized via a facile precipitation approach. The structural analysis by x-ray diffraction reveals that both pure CdO nanoparticles (NPs) and (Y2O3) x (CdO) 1-x NCs possess crystalline and cubic-phase purity. The crystallite size in the mixing nanocomposition (NCs) ranged from 45 to 52 nm based on the concentration of Y2O3 in the NCs. The morphologies of CdO NPs and (Y2O3) x (CdO) 1-x NCs were studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy. This confirmed that the collected NCs had an irregular semi-spherical morphology. It was established, based on the Tauc figure, that the optical band gap of the produced NCs had lowered from 3.35 to 2.96. Testing conducted by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) reveals that an increase in surface area and pore volume following the addition of Y2O3 is indicative of increased porosity. UV-vis spectroscopy's optical study reveals that Y2O3 loading significantly improves the photocatalytic activities of (Y2O3) x (CdO) 1-x NCs. The photodegradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) was higher (94.6%) for the (Y2O3) 0.2 (CdO) 0.8 NCs under solar irradiation compared to (45.6%) for pure CdO NPs. The (Y2O3) 0.2 (CdO) 0.8 NCs photocatalyst was stable in six cycles of MB degradation, according to a study on reusability. Optimal Y2O3 loading in the photocatalytic system is responsible for the boost in photocatalytic activity due to the system's high BET-surface area, narrow size distribution, and narrow energy band gap.

Keywords

• Mixed oxides nanocomposites
• X-ray diffraction
• BET-surface area
• Pore volume photocatalytic activity