High-Efficacy Hierarchical Dy2O3/TiO2 Nanoflower toward Wastewater Reclamation: A Combined Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Strategy

• Published in: ACS omega 2022-05, Vol.7 (20), p.17223-17233
• Main Authors: Kaid, Mahmoud M., Khder, Abdelrahman S., Ahmed, Saleh A., Ibrahim, Amr A., Altass, Hatem M., Alsantali, Reem I., Jassas, Rabab S., Khder, Menna A., Al-Rooqi, Munirah M., Moussa, Ziad, Ahmed, Awad I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2470-1343; 2470-1343
• DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c01090

Developing a sustainable photocatalyst is crucial to mitigate the foreseeable energy shortage and environmental pollution caused by the rapid advancement of global industry. We developed Dy2O3/TiO2 nanoflower (TNF) with a hierarchical nanoflower structure and a near-ideal anatase crystallite morphology to degrade aqueous rhodamine B solution under simulated solar light irradiation. The prepared photocatalyst was well-characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Further analysis was performed to highlight the photoelectrochemical activity of the prepared photocatalysts such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, photocurrent response, and a Mott–Schottky study. The crystalline Dy2O3/TNF exhibits superb photocatalytic activity attributed to the improved charge transfer, reduced recombination rate of the electron–hole pairs, and a remarkable red-shift in light absorption.