Mn-doped ZrO2 nanoparticles prepared by a template-free method for electrochemical energy storage and abatement of dye degradation

A template-free technique was used to prepare pure and Mn-doped ZrO2 photocatalyst samples in this study. The effect of doping on the structural, optical, photocatalytic, and supercapacitor properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the prepared samples had a tetragonal crystal structure. The optical band gap was narrowed due to the incorporation of Mn ions. The photocatalytic activity of methyl orange organic dye degradation with the Mn-doped ZrO2 sample was examined under visible-light irradiation. The doped sample showed 83% of dye degradation after 100 min of irradiation. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the supercapacitor properties, and the doped samples exhibited capacitance seven times greater than that of the pure sample.