Ultrasonic-Assisted Synthesis, Characterization, and Optical Properties of Sb Doped ZnO and Their Photocatalytic Activities

Sb doped ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by an ultrasonic-assisted method. Effect of Sb dopant on the structure, morphology, and composition of as-synthesized Sb doped ZnO nanostructures was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). All samples were identified to wurtzite hexagonal ZnO structure. UV-visible spectra of the as-synthesized 3% Sb doped ZnO sample exhibit broad absorption bands at around 343 nm which is blue shift of 373 nm of pure ZnO. The photocatalytic activity was tested by decolorization of methylene blue (MB) solution under UV light. After 300 min irradiation, the degradation efficiencies were 56, 90, and 95% for ZnO, 1% Sb doped ZnO, and 3% Sb doped ZnO, respectively. The 3% Sb doped ZnO shows the highest photocatalytic activity than any other samples

Synthesis and Characterization of Europium-Doped Zinc Oxide Photocatalyst

Single crystalline flower-like ZnO and Eu-doped ZnO structures were successfully synthesized via a sonochemical method. Structures, morphologies, and photocatalytic activities of the as-synthesized samples were determined using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the as-synthesized samples were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solutions under UV light. The photocatalytic results indicate that the as-synthesized Eu-doped ZnO shows good photocatalytic activity and could be considered as a promising photocatalyst for dye waste water treatment

Hydrothermal synthesis and electrochemical properties of α-MoO3 nanobelts used as cathode materials for Li-ion batteries

Uniform α-MoO3 nanobelts were successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal process at 180°C for 20 h of the acidic solutions with different pH values of 0–0.75, adjusted using HCl (conc.). XRD and SEM results revealed that the pH of the precursor solutions played an important role in the phase, impurities, and morphology of the products. At the pH=0, the perfect α-MoO3 nanobelts with a few tens of microns long were synthesized. By the TEM characterization, orthorhombic MoO3 has a distinctive layered structure along the [010] direction, consisting of distorted MoO6 octahedrons connected by common corners along the [100] direction and common edges along the [001] direction. The electrochemical measurement showed that the α-MoO3 nanobelts have high specific charge capacity