Synthesis, structural, optical and photocatalytic behavior of Sn doped ZnO nanoparticles

ZnO is widely used as a photocatalytic process due to high photosensitivity, strongly oxidizing nature, non-toxic, favorable band gap energy and the excellent chemical and mechanical stabilities of the material. The present work deals with the synthesis of ZnO doped with transition metal (Sn) by using a simple chemical precipitation method. XRD analysis confirms the substitution of Se4+ ions into the ZnO matrix by increased lattice spacing and a reduced 20 angle. Optical properties like reflectance and band gap were studied using UV-Vis-DRS spectroscopy. The morphology of the samples was observed using FESEM and TEM which explains the growth rate and shape of the prepared samples. Methylene Blue (MB) dye was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of synthesized ZnO nanoparticles and their performance with respect time were analyzed and presented.