Phase engineered enhancement of photocatalytic and Opto-magnetic properties of CuO nanoparticles through fluorine and gadolinium doping

• Published in: Materials science in semiconductor processing 2024-11, Vol.183, p.108749, Article 108749
• Main Authors: Jamal, Moniruzzaman, Mondal, Sudipta, Ayon, Sikder Ashikuzzaman, Mim, Samiya Rahman, Islam, Md Saiful, Billah, Md Muktadir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bandgap; Magnetism; Phase stabilization; Photodegradation; Sol-gel process
• ISSN: 1369-8001
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mssp.2024.108749

The present study comprises co-doping of CuO nanoparticles with gadolinium (Gd) and fluorine (F) using the sol-gel method to achieve phase stabilization and tune their physicochemical properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses revealed successful incorporation of the dopants and the stabilization of the CuO phase with increasing Gd content. Morphological studies revealed grain refinement and an enhanced surface-to-volume ratio upon co-doping. Average particle size decreased from 194 nm to 138 nm for pure and 5%F to 126 nm, 101 nm, and 81 nm for, 1mol%, 2mol% and 3mol% Gd along with 5mol% F co-doped CuO nanoparticles. Increasing the Gd ratio also tuned the band structure and significantly improved the optical properties of the CuO nanoparticles. Additionally, a transition from weak ferromagnetic ordering to paramagnetic behavior is observed. Coercivity decreased to 2.5 Oe for Cu0.97Gd0.03F0.05O0.95 as opposed to 396.3 Oe for CuF0.05O0.95. Photocatalytic activity studies using rhodamine B (Rh B) as a model probe revealed a pronounced enhancement in degradation kinetics with increasing gadolinium (Gd) doping, culminating in around 2.9 times faster degradation rate for 3 % Gd-doped CuO nanoparticles compared to pure CuO nanoparticles. After 3 h of UV light irradiation, the photodegradation efficiency of Cu0.97Gd0.03F0.05O0.95 was 94 %, which is significantly higher than the 80 % and 69 % efficiency of CuF0.05O0.95 and CuO, respectively. These remarkable optical, magnetic, and photocatalytic properties of the co-doped nanoparticles offer promising candidacy for various applications, including photocatalysis, solar energy harvesting, magnetic switching, and magnetic sensing. •Modified Sol-gel route to synthesize highly crystalline Gd3+ and F− co-doped CuO nanoparticles.•Incorporation of Gd3+ with F− stabilized the CuO phase suppressing the formation of Cu2O phase observed in F− doped CuO NPs.•Bandgap tuning resulted in significant modification of optical properties.•Transition from ferromagnetic to paramagnetic behavior resulting from the suppression of Cu2O phase.•2-fold higher photodegradation rate achieved for co-doped CuO NPs compared to pure CuO.