Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic Devices
Undoped and Mg-doped (y = [Mg<sup>2+</sup>]/[Fe<sup>3+</sup>] = 1, 2, 3, and 4 at.%) Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> thin films were synthesized by a simple spray pyrolysis technique. The thin films were extensively characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) a...
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/7/1179 |
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| author | Rihab Ben Ayed Mejda Ajili Yolanda Piñeiro Badriyah Alhalaili José Rivas Ruxandra Vidu Salah Kouass Najoua Kamoun Turki |
| author_facet | Rihab Ben Ayed Mejda Ajili Yolanda Piñeiro Badriyah Alhalaili José Rivas Ruxandra Vidu Salah Kouass Najoua Kamoun Turki |
| author_sort | Rihab Ben Ayed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Undoped and Mg-doped (y = [Mg<sup>2+</sup>]/[Fe<sup>3+</sup>] = 1, 2, 3, and 4 at.%) Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> thin films were synthesized by a simple spray pyrolysis technique. The thin films were extensively characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis confirmed the successful insertion of Mg in the rhombohedral structure of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. In addition, scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and confocal microscope (CM) images showed a homogenous texture of the film, which was free of defects. The rough surface of the film obtained by spray pyrolysis is an important feature for photocatalysis and gas sensor applications. The direct band gap of the doped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> films obtained for [Mg<sup>2+</sup>]/[Fe<sup>3+</sup>] = 3 at.% was E<sub>dir</sub> = 2.20 eV, which recommends the Mg-doped iron oxide as an optical window or buffer layer in solar cell devices. The photodegradation performance of Mg-doped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> was assessed by studying the removal of methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation, with an effective removal efficiency of 90% within 180 min. The excellent photodegradation activity was attributed to the strong absorption of Mg-doped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> in the UV and most of the visible light, and to the effective separation of photogenerated charge carriers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:35:21Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:35:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-ce81d4b0d07b401c863f75742db07fc82023-11-30T23:45:37ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912022-04-01127117910.3390/nano12071179Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic DevicesRihab Ben Ayed0Mejda Ajili1Yolanda Piñeiro2Badriyah Alhalaili3José Rivas4Ruxandra Vidu5Salah Kouass6Najoua Kamoun Turki7LR99ES13 Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée (LPMC), Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, TunisiaLR99ES13 Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée (LPMC), Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, TunisiaNanomag Laboratory, Applied Physics Department, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainNanotechnology and Advanced Materials Program, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat 13109, KuwaitNanomag Laboratory, Applied Physics Department, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainFaculty of Materials Science and Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaLaboratoire des Matériaux Utiles, INRAP, Technopôle, Sidi-Thabet, Tunis 2020, TunisiaLR99ES13 Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée (LPMC), Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, TunisiaUndoped and Mg-doped (y = [Mg<sup>2+</sup>]/[Fe<sup>3+</sup>] = 1, 2, 3, and 4 at.%) Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> thin films were synthesized by a simple spray pyrolysis technique. The thin films were extensively characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis confirmed the successful insertion of Mg in the rhombohedral structure of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. In addition, scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and confocal microscope (CM) images showed a homogenous texture of the film, which was free of defects. The rough surface of the film obtained by spray pyrolysis is an important feature for photocatalysis and gas sensor applications. The direct band gap of the doped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> films obtained for [Mg<sup>2+</sup>]/[Fe<sup>3+</sup>] = 3 at.% was E<sub>dir</sub> = 2.20 eV, which recommends the Mg-doped iron oxide as an optical window or buffer layer in solar cell devices. The photodegradation performance of Mg-doped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> was assessed by studying the removal of methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation, with an effective removal efficiency of 90% within 180 min. The excellent photodegradation activity was attributed to the strong absorption of Mg-doped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> in the UV and most of the visible light, and to the effective separation of photogenerated charge carriers.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/7/1179thin filmsiron oxideMg dopingphysical propertiesphotocatalysis |
| spellingShingle | Rihab Ben Ayed Mejda Ajili Yolanda Piñeiro Badriyah Alhalaili José Rivas Ruxandra Vidu Salah Kouass Najoua Kamoun Turki Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic Devices Nanomaterials thin films iron oxide Mg doping physical properties photocatalysis |
| title | Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic Devices |
| title_full | Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic Devices |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic Devices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic Devices |
| title_short | Effect of Mg Doping on the Physical Properties of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films for Photocatalytic Devices |
| title_sort | effect of mg doping on the physical properties of fe sub 2 sub o sub 3 sub thin films for photocatalytic devices |
| topic | thin films iron oxide Mg doping physical properties photocatalysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/7/1179 |
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