Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical Conductivity

Zinc (Zn) doped hematite (α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles with varying concentrations (pure, 2%, 4% and 6%) were synthesized via sol-gel method. The influence of divalent Zn ions on structural, optical and dielectric behavior of hematite were studied. X-ray diffr...

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Main Authors: Suman, Surjeet Chahal, Ashok Kumar, Parmod Kumar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
Series:Crystals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/10/4/273
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author Suman
Surjeet Chahal
Ashok Kumar
Parmod Kumar
author_facet Suman
Surjeet Chahal
Ashok Kumar
Parmod Kumar
author_sort Suman
collection DOAJ
description Zinc (Zn) doped hematite (α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles with varying concentrations (pure, 2%, 4% and 6%) were synthesized via sol-gel method. The influence of divalent Zn ions on structural, optical and dielectric behavior of hematite were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of synthesized samples were indexed to rhombohedral <i>R3c</i> space group of hematite with 14–21 nm crystallite size. The lattice parameter (a and c) values increase upto Zn 4% and decrease afterwards. The surface morphology of prepared nanoparticles were explored using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The band gap measured from Tauc’s plot, using UV-Vis spectroscopy, showed reduction in its values upto Zn 4% and the reverse trend was obtained in higher concentrations. The dielectric properties of pure and Zn doped hematite were investigated at room temperature and followed the same trends as that of XRD parameters and band gap. Photocatalytic properties of nanoparticles were performed for hazardous Rose bengal dye and showed effective degradation in the presence of UV light. Hence, Zn<sup>2+</sup> doped hematite can be considered as an efficient material for the potential applications in the domain of photocatalysis and also higher value of dielectric constant at room temperature makes them applicable in high energy storage devices.
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spelling doaj.art-2c9ca4ab36bc44d0aae4f169267498a52023-11-19T20:43:06ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522020-04-0110427310.3390/cryst10040273Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical ConductivitySuman0Surjeet Chahal1Ashok Kumar2Parmod Kumar3Department of Physics, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal 131039, Haryana, IndiaDepartment of Physics, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal 131039, Haryana, IndiaDepartment of Physics, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal 131039, Haryana, IndiaDepartment of Physics, J.C Bose, University of Science and Technology, YMCA, Faridabad 121006, Haryana, IndiaZinc (Zn) doped hematite (α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles with varying concentrations (pure, 2%, 4% and 6%) were synthesized via sol-gel method. The influence of divalent Zn ions on structural, optical and dielectric behavior of hematite were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of synthesized samples were indexed to rhombohedral <i>R3c</i> space group of hematite with 14–21 nm crystallite size. The lattice parameter (a and c) values increase upto Zn 4% and decrease afterwards. The surface morphology of prepared nanoparticles were explored using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The band gap measured from Tauc’s plot, using UV-Vis spectroscopy, showed reduction in its values upto Zn 4% and the reverse trend was obtained in higher concentrations. The dielectric properties of pure and Zn doped hematite were investigated at room temperature and followed the same trends as that of XRD parameters and band gap. Photocatalytic properties of nanoparticles were performed for hazardous Rose bengal dye and showed effective degradation in the presence of UV light. Hence, Zn<sup>2+</sup> doped hematite can be considered as an efficient material for the potential applications in the domain of photocatalysis and also higher value of dielectric constant at room temperature makes them applicable in high energy storage devices.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/10/4/273α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>photocatalytic activitydielectric properties
spellingShingle Suman
Surjeet Chahal
Ashok Kumar
Parmod Kumar
Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical Conductivity
Crystals
α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>
photocatalytic activity
dielectric properties
title Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical Conductivity
title_full Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical Conductivity
title_fullStr Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical Conductivity
title_full_unstemmed Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical Conductivity
title_short Zn Doped α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>: An Efficient Material for UV Driven Photocatalysis and Electrical Conductivity
title_sort zn doped α fe sub 2 sub o sub 3 sub an efficient material for uv driven photocatalysis and electrical conductivity
topic α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>
photocatalytic activity
dielectric properties
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/10/4/273
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AT surjeetchahal zndopedafesub2subosub3subanefficientmaterialforuvdrivenphotocatalysisandelectricalconductivity
AT ashokkumar zndopedafesub2subosub3subanefficientmaterialforuvdrivenphotocatalysisandelectricalconductivity
AT parmodkumar zndopedafesub2subosub3subanefficientmaterialforuvdrivenphotocatalysisandelectricalconductivity