Find in Library

We present a study on the green synthesis of undoped and Er-doped ZnO compounds using <i>Mangifera indica</i> gum (MI). A set of tests were conducted to assess the structure of the material. The tests included X-ray diffraction, Raman, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Optical properties were studied using diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence. Morphological and textural investigations were done using SEM images and N₂ adsorption/desorption. Furthermore, photocatalytic tests were performed with methylene blue (MB), yellow eosin (EY), and the pharmaceutical drug ibuprofen (IBU) under UV irradiation. The study demonstrated that replacing the stabilizing agent with <i>Mangifera indica</i> gum is an effective method for obtaining ZnO nanoparticles. Additionally, the energy gap of the nanoparticles exhibits a slight reduction in value. Photoluminescence studies showed the presence of zinc vacancies and other defects in both samples. In the photocatalytic test, the sample containing Er³⁺ exhibited a degradation of 99.7% for methylene blue, 81.2% for yellow eosin, and 52.3% for ibuprofen over 120 min. In the presence of methyl alcohol, the degradation of MB and EY dyes is 16.7% and 55.7%, respectively. This suggests that hydroxyl radicals are responsible for the direct degradation of both dyes. In addition, after the second reuse, the degradation rate for MB was 94.08%, and for EY, it was 82.35%. For the third reuse, the degradation rate for MB was 97.15%, and for EY, it was 17%. These results indicate the significant potential of the new semiconductor in environmental remediation applications from an ecological synthesis.