Abstract
The undoped and terbium (Tb)-doped SnO2 thin films are coated on the glass substrates using the nebulized spray pyrolysis (NSP) technique. The crystallite size is calculated using the Williamson-Hall method and is found to be decreased from 80 to 56 nm with the increase of Tb doping concentration. Atomic force microscope (AFM) images show the spheroidal shape of the grains. The elemental analysis of the samples was investigated by energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDX). An increase in absorbance and decrease in bandgap values provide more photon absorption which enhances the photocatalytic reaction. The PL studies reveal the creation of more defect levels by doping which provides more active sites for catalyzed reactions. The Tb doping with SnO2 improved the rate constant about 0.015/min, and a maximum photocatalytic dye degradation efficiency of 85% against methylene blue dye was observed. Therefore, the fabricated films found potential applications for photocatalysis that enable them to chemical industries.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdullah N, Ismail NM, Nuruzzaman DM (2018) Preparation of tin oxide (SnO2) thin films using thermal oxidation. In: IOP conference series: materials science and engineering. Institute of Physics Publishing, p 012022
Ahmed AS, Shafeeq MM, Singla ML, Tabassum S, Naqvi AH, Azam A (2011) Band gap narrowing and fluorescence properties of nickel doped SnO 2 nanoparticles. J Lumin 131:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2010.07.017
Ahmed A, Naseem Siddique M, Alam U, Ali T, Tripathi P (2019) Improved photocatalytic activity of Sr doped SnO 2 nanoparticles: a role of oxygen vacancy. Appl Surf Sci 463:976–985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.08.182
Al-Hamdi AM, Sillanpää M, Dutta J (2014) Photocatalytic degradation of phenol in aqueous solution by rare earth-doped Snonanoparticles. J Mater Sci 49:5151–5159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8223-2
Al-Hamdi AM, Sillanpää M, Dutta J (2015) Gadolinium doped tin dioxide nanoparticles: an efficient visible light active photocatalyst. J Rare Earths 33:1275–1283. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0721(14)60557-3
Al-Hamdi AM, Sillanpää M, Bora T, Dutta J (2016) Efficient photocatalytic degradation of phenol in aqueous solution by SnO 2 :Sb nanoparticles. Appl Surf Sci 370:229–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2016.02.123
Al-Maliki FJ, Al-Lamey NH (2017) Synthesis of Tb-doped titanium dioxide nanostructures by sol–gel method for environmental photocatalysis applications. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 81:276–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-4190-1
Aly KA, Khalil NM, Algamal Y, Saleem QMA (2016) Lattice strain estimation for CoAl2O4 nano particles using Williamson-Hall analysis. J Alloys Compd 676:606–612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2016.03.213
Anandan K, Rajendran V (2015) Influence of dopant concentrations (Mn = 1, 2 and 3 mol%) on the structural, magnetic and optical properties and photocatalytic activities of SnO2 nanoparticles synthesized via the simple precipitation process. Superlattice Microst 85:185–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spmi.2015.05.031
Arun Kumar KD, Valanarasu S, Kathalingam A, Jeyadheepan K (2018) Nd3+ Doping effect on the optical and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films prepared by nebulizer spray pyrolysis for opto-electronic application. Mater Res Bull 101:264–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.materresbull.2018.01.050
Asen P, Haghighi M, Shahrokhian S, Taghavinia N (2019) One step synthesis of SnS2-SnO2 nano-heterostructured as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications. J Alloys Compd 782:38–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.12.176
Azam A, Ahmed AS, Ansari MS, Shafeeq MM, Naqvi AH (2010) Study of electrical properties of nickel doped SnO2 ceramic nanoparticles. J Alloys Compd 506:237–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2010.06.184
Babu B, Kadam AN, Ravikumar RVSSN, Byon C (2017) Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of Cu-doped SnO2quantum dots by solution combustion synthesis. J Alloys Compd 703:330–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2017.01.311
Bannur MS, Antony A, Maddani KI, Ani A, Poornesh P, Rao A, Choudhari KS, Kulkarni SD (2019) Improved nonlinear absorption mechanism of tin oxide thin films: role of strontium doping. Opt Mater (Amst) 94:294–298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2019.06.003
Bouras K, Schmerber G, Rinnert H, Aureau D, Park H, Ferblantier G, Colis S, Fix T, Park C, Kim WK, Dinia A, Slaoui A (2016) Structural, optical and electrical properties of Nd-doped SnO2 thin films fabricated by reactive magnetron sputtering for solar cell devices. Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 145:134–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2015.07.038
Chen D, Huang S, Huang R, Zhang Q, Le TT, Cheng E, Hu Z, Chen Z (2019) Convenient fabrication of Ni-doped SnO2 quantum dots with improved photodegradation performance for Rhodamine B. J Alloys Compd 788:929–935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.02.193
Chen F, Yu C, Wei L, Fan Q, Ma F, Zeng J, Yi J, Yang K, Ji H (2020) Fabrication and characterization of ZnTiO3/Zn2Ti3O8/ZnO ternary photocatalyst for synergetic removal of aqueous organic pollutants and Cr(VI) ions. Sci Total Environ 706:136026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136026
Cheng G, Wu K, Zhao P, Cheng Y, He X, Huang K (2007) Solvothermal controlled growth of Zn-doped SnO2 branched nanorod clusters. J Cryst Growth 309:53–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2007.09.007
Cheng C, Amini A, Zhu C, Xu Z, Song H, Wang N (2014) Enhanced photocatalytic performance of TiO2-ZnO hybrid nanostructures. Sci Rep 4:1–5. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep04181
Chu L, Duo F, Zhang M, Wu Z, Sun Y, Wang C, Dong S, Sun J (2020) Doping induced enhanced photocatalytic performance of SnO2:Bi3+ quantum dots toward organic pollutants. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 589:124416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.124416
Dave N, Pautler BG, Farvid SS, Radovanovic PV (2010) Synthesis and surface control of colloidal Cr3 +-doped SnO 2 transparent magnetic semiconductor nanocrystals. Nanotechnology 21:134023. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/21/13/134023
Gholami M, Shirzad-Siboni M, Yang JK (2016) Application of Ni-doped ZnO rods for the degradation of an azo dye from aqueous solutions. Korean J Chem Eng 33:812–822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-015-0218-4
Han K, Peng XL, Li F, Yao MM (2018) SnO2 composite films for enhanced photocatalytic activities. Catalysts 8:453. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal8100453
Haouanoh D, TalaIghil RZ, Toubane M, Bensouici F, Mokeddem K (2019) Effects of thermal treatment and layers’ number on SnO2 thin films properties prepared by sol-gel technique. Mater Res Express 6:086422. https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ab1d96
Hassun HK, Hussein BH, Salman EMT, Shaban AH (2020) Photoelectric properties of SnO2: Ag/P–Si heterojunction photodetector. In: Energy Reports. Elsevier Ltd, pp 46–54
Haya S, Brahmia O, Halimi O, Sebais M, Boudine B (2017) Sol-gel synthesis of Sr-doped SnO2 thin films and their photocatalytic properties. Mater Res Express 4:106406. https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/aa8deb
Islam MR, Rahman M, Farhad SFU, Podder J (2019) Structural, optical and photocatalysis properties of sol–gel deposited Al-doped ZnO thin films. Surf Interfaces 16:120–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2019.05.007
Jayapandi S, Packiyaraj P, Premkumar S, Mayandi J, Anitha K (2017) Influence of pH in La-doped SnO2 nanoparticles towards sensor applications. Ionics (Kiel) 23:2909–2917. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-017-2121-y
Jayapandi S, Premkumar S, Lakshmi D, Packiyaraj P, Balaji viswanath K, Sivaraj P, Anitha K (2019) Reinforced photocatalytic reduction of SnO 2 nanoparticle by La incorporation for efficient photodegradation under visible light irradiation. J Mater Sci Mater Electron 30:8479–8492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01168-5
Jeong J, Choi SP, Chang CI, Shin DC, Park JS, Lee BT, Park YJ, Song HJ (2003) Photoluminescence properties of SnO2 thin films grown by thermal CVD. Solid State Commun 127:595–597. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-1098(03)00614-8
Jia X, Liu Y, Wu X, Zhang Z (2014) A low temperature situ precipitation route to designing Zn-doped SnO 2 photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic performance. Appl Surf Sci 311:609–613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2014.05.118
Kaur H, Bhatti HS, Singh K (2020) Pr doped SnO2 nanostructures: morphology evolution, efficient photocatalysts and fluorescent sensors for the detection of Cd2+ ions in water. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 388:112144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2019.112144
Kavaliunas V, Krugly E, Sriubas M, Mimura H, Laukaitis G, Hatanaka Y (2020) Influence of Mg, Cu, and Ni dopants on amorphous TiO2 thin films photocatalytic activity. Materials (Basel) 13:886. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13040886
Khelifi C, Attaf A (2020) Influence of Ti doping on SnO2 thin films properties prepared by ultrasonic spray technique. Surf Interfaces 18:100449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2020.100449
Kibasomba PM, Dhlamini S, Maaza M, Liu CP, Rashad MM, Rayan DA, Mwakikunga BW (2018) Strain and grain size of TiO2 nanoparticles from TEM, Raman spectroscopy and XRD: the revisiting of the Williamson-Hall plot method. Results Phys 9:628–635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2018.03.008
Koao LF, Hone FG, Dejene FB (2020) Synthesis and characterization of PbS nanowires doped with Tb3+ ions by using chemical bath deposition method. J Nanostructure Chem 10:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40097-019-00323-y
Kumar KDA, Thomas R, Valanarasu S, Ganesh V, Shkir M, AlFaify S, Thirumalai J (2019) Analysis of Pr co-doped Al:ZnO thin films using feasible nebulizer spray technique for optoelectronic technology. Appl Phys A Mater Sci Process 125:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-019-2998-6
Kumar V, Chauhan V, Ram J, Gupta R, Kumar S, Chaudhary P, Yadav BC, Ojha S, Sulania I, Kumar R (2020) Study of humidity sensing properties and ion beam induced modifications in SnO2-TiO2 nanocomposite thin films. Surf Coat Technol 392:125768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2020.125768
Lee C, Lee WY, Lee H, Ha S, Bae JH, Kang IM, Kang H, Kim K, Jang J (2020) Sol-gel processed yttrium-doped SnO2 thin film transistors. Electron 9:254. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9020254
Liu S, Qiao X, Wang Y, Xie H, Zhang N, Liu D (2019) Magnetic and optical behaviors of SnO2-x thin films with oxygen vacancies prepared by atomic layer deposition. Ceram Int 45:4128–4132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.11.040
Loyola Poul Raj I, Jegatha Christy A, David Prabu R, Chidhambaram N, Shkir M, AlFaify S, Khan A (2020) Significance of Ni doping on structure-morphology-photoluminescence, optical and photocatalytic activity of CBD grown ZnO nanowires for opto-photocatalyst applications. Inorg Chem Commun 119:108082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inoche.2020.108082
Malik R, Chaudhary V, Rana PS, Tomer VK, Nehra SP, Duhan S (2016) Lanthanide ions doped-SnO2 : a stable and efficient photocatalyst for dye decontamination. Energy Environ Focus 5:35–42. https://doi.org/10.1166/eef.2016.1189
Mishra RK, Kushwaha A, Sahay PP (2014) Influence of Cu doping on the structural, photoluminescence and formaldehyde sensing properties of SnO2 nanoparticles. RSC Adv 4:3904–3912. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3ra43709d
Mohammad A, Karim MR, Khan ME, Khan MM, Cho MH (2019) Biofilm-assisted fabrication of Ag@SnO2- g-C3N4 nanostructures for visible light-induced photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical performance. J Phys Chem C 123:20936–20948. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b05105
Mohammad JF, Sooud MAA, Abed SM (2020) Characteristics of ph variation on structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films by cbd technique. J Ovonic Res 16:107–113
Muhammad SK, Hassan ES, Qader KY, Abass KH, Chiad SS, Habubi NF (2020) Effect of vanadium on structure and morphology of SnO2 thin films. Nano Biomed Eng 12:67–74. https://doi.org/10.5101/nbe.v12i1.p67-74
Nath D, Singh F, Das R (2020) X-ray diffraction analysis by Williamson-Hall, Halder-Wagner and size-strain plot methods of CdSe nanoparticles- a comparative study. Mater Chem Phys 239:122021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2019.122021
Othmen WBH, Sieber B, Cordier C, Elhouichet H, Addad A, Gelloz B, Moreau M, Barras A, Férid M, Boukherroub R (2016) Iron addition induced tunable band gap and tetravalent Fe ion in hydrothermally prepared SnO2 nanocrystals: application in photocatalysis. Mater Res Bull 83:481–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.materresbull.2016.06.041
Paul N, Deka A, Mohanta D (2014) Augmented photocatalytic activity and luminescence response of Tb3+ doped nanoscale titania systems. J Appl Phys 116:144902. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4897369
Pérez JAB, Courel M, Pal M, Delgado FP, Mathews NR (2017) Effect of ytterbium doping concentration on structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 thin films. Ceram Int 43:15777–15784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.08.141
Pérez JAB, Courel M, Valderrama RC, Hernández I, Pal M, Delgado FP, Mathews NR (2019) Structural, optical, and photoluminescence properties of erbium doped TiO2 films. Vacuum 169:108873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2019.108873
Rahman MM, Jamal A, Khan SB, Faisal M (2011) Highly sensitive ethanol chemical sensor based on Ni-doped SnO2 nanostructure materials. Biosens Bioelectron 28:127–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2011.07.024
Ran L, Zhao D, Gao X, Yin L (2015) Highly crystalline Ti-doped SnO2 hollow structured photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of organic dyes. CrystEngComm 17:4225–4237. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ce00184f
Rani A, Singh K, Patel AS, Chakraborti A, Kumar S, Ghosh K, Sharma P (2020) Visible light driven photocatalysis of organic dyes using SnO2 decorated MoS2 nanocomposites. Chem Phys Lett 738:136874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2019.136874
Ravichandran K, Chidhambaram N, Arun T, Velmathi S, Gobalakrishnan S (2016) Realizing cost-effective ZnO:Sr nanoparticles@graphene nanospreads for improved photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. RSC Adv 6:67575–67585. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ra08697g
Ren J h, Huang Y t, Li K w, Shen J, Zeng W y, Sheng C m, Shao J j, Han Y b, Zhang Q (2019) Preparation of rare-earth thulium doped tin-oxide thin films and their applications in thin film transistors. Appl Surf Sci 493:63–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.06.300
Sakwises L, Pisitsak P, Manuspiya H, Ummartyotin S (2017) Effect of Mn-substituted SnO2 particle toward photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye. Results Phys 7:1751–1759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2017.05.009
Sa-nguanprang S, Phuruangrat A, Thongtem T, Thongtem S (2020) Characterization and photocatalysis of visible-light-driven Dy-doped ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by tartaric acid-assisted combustion method. Inorg Chem Commun 117:107944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inoche.2020.107944
Sathishkumar M, Geethalakshmi S (2020) Enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity of Cu:SnO2 nanoparticles synthesized by microwave assisted method. Mater Today Proc 20:54–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.08.246
Sawahata J, Kawasaki T (2019) Structural and electrical properties of Sb-doped SnO2 thin films prepared by metal organic decomposition. Thin Solid Films 685:210–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2019.06.040
Shahmoradi Y, Souri D (2019) Growth of silver nanoparticles within the tellurovanadate amorphous matrix: optical band gap and band tailing properties, beside the Williamson-Hall estimation of crystallite size and lattice strain. Ceram Int 45:7857–7864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.01.094
Shkir M, Khan ZR, Anis M, Shaikh SS, AlFaify S (2020) A comprehensive study of opto-electrical and nonlinear properties of Cu@CdS thin films for optoelectronics. Chin J Phys 63:51–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjph.2019.10.017
Singh LP, Luwang MN, Srivastava SK (2014) Luminescence and photocatalytic studies of Sm3+ ion doped SnO2 nanoparticles. New J Chem 38:115–121. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3nj00759f
Soltan WB, Ammar S, Olivier C, Toupance T (2017) Influence of zinc doping on the photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline SnO2 particles synthesized by the polyol method for enhanced degradation of organic dyes. J Alloys Compd 729:638–647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2017.09.155
Suthakaran S, Dhanapandian S, Krishnakumar N, Ponpandian N (2020) Hydrothermal synthesis of surfactant assisted Zn doped SnO2 nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic performance and energy storage performance. J Phys Chem Solids 141:109407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpcs.2020.109407
Teldja B, Noureddine B, Azzeddine B, Meriem T (2020) Effect of indium doping on the UV photoluminescence emission, structural, electrical and optical properties of spin-coating deposited SnO2 thin films. Optik (Stuttg) 209:164586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijleo.2020.164586
Thomas R, Mathavan T, Jothirajan MA, Somaily HH, Zahran HY, Yahia IS (2020a) An effect of lanthanum doping on physical characteristics of FTO thin films coated by nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. Opt Mater (Amst) 99:109518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2019.109518
Thomas R, Mathavan T, Shkir M, AlFaify S, Kim HS, Kathalingam A (2020b) Influence of yttrium doping on microstructural and optical properties of FTO thin films prepared by nebulizer spray technique. Mater Today Commun 24:101087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2020.101087
Vadivel S, Rajarajan G (2015) Effect of Mg doping on structural, optical and photocatalytic activity of SnO2 nanostructure thin films. J Mater Sci Mater Electron 26:3155–3162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-2811-z
Vijayaprasath G, Soundarrajan P, Ravi G (2018) The point defects induced ferromagnetism in ZnO semiconductor by terbium doping via co-precipitation method. J Mater Sci Mater Electron 29:11892–11900. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-018-9290-y
Wang Y, Su YR, Qiao L, Liu LX, Su Q, Zhu CQ, Liu XQ (2011) Synthesis of one-dimensional TiO2/V2O5 branched heterostructures and their visible light photocatalytic activity towards Rhodamine B. Nanotechnology 22:225702. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/22/22/225702
Wang X, Wang X, Di Q, Zhao H, Liang B, Yang J (2017) Mutual effects of fluorine dopant and oxygen vacancies on structural and luminescence characteristics of F doped SnO2 nanoparticles. Materials (Basel) 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10121398
Xi G, Ye J (2010) Ultrathin SnO2 nanorods: template- and surfactant-free solution phase synthesis, growth mechanism, optical, gas-sensing, and surface adsorption properties. Inorg Chem 49:2302–2309. https://doi.org/10.1021/ic902131a
Yu C, Chen F, Zeng D, Xie Y, Zhou W, Liu Z, Wei L, Yang K, Li D (2019a) A facile phase transformation strategy for fabrication of novel Z-scheme ternary heterojunctions with efficient photocatalytic properties. Nanoscale 11:7720–7733. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9nr00709a
Yu C, He H, Fan Q, Xie W, Liu Z, Ji H (2019b) Novel B-doped BiOCl nanosheets with exposed (001) facets and photocatalytic mechanism of enhanced degradation efficiency for organic pollutants. Sci Total Environ 694:133727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133727
Yu C, He H, Liu X, Zeng J, Liu Z (2019c) Novel SiO2 nanoparticle-decorated BiOCl nanosheets exhibiting high photocatalytic performances for the removal of organic pollutants. Chin J Catal 40:1212–1221. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1872-2067(19)63359-0
Zeng D, Yu C, Fan Q, Zeng J, Wei L, Li Z, Yang K, Ji H (2020) Theoretical and experimental research of novel fluorine doped hierarchical Sn3O4 microspheres with excellent photocatalytic performance for removal of Cr(VI) and organic pollutants. Chem Eng J 391:123607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.123607
Zhao X, Liu X, Zhang Z, Liu X, Zhang W (2016) Facile preparation of a novel SnO2@UiO-66/rGO hybrid with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. RSC Adv 6:92011–92019. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ra18140f
Funding
The authors fro KKU express their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through research groups program under grant number R.G.P. 2/21/41.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Raj, I.L.P., Revathy, M.S., Christy, A.J. et al. Study on the synergistic effect of terbium-doped SnO2 thin film photocatalysts for dye degradation. J Nanopart Res 22, 359 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-05084-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-05084-2