Controlled Synthesis of Europium-Doped SnS Quantum Dots for Ultra-Fast Degradation of Selective Industrial Dyes

Herein, SnS and Eu-doped SnS QDs have been synthesized by a facile chemical co-precipitation method for efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic dye molecules. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of QDs were investigated by various physiochemical characterization techniques. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV) dyes have been studied under visible light irradiation under direct sunlight using a spectrophotometer. Enhanced photodegradation efficiency of 87% and 94% were attained for SnS and Eu (4%)-doped SnS, respectively. For CV dye, the pure SnS showed only 70.7% however the Eu (4%)-doped SnS achieved 99% efficiency. The rate constant value of the doped SnS was found to be much higher than that of pure SnS for both dyes. The obtained results from various characterization studies provided the reason for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of Eu-doped SnS QDs due to the presence of Eu3+ in the SnS lattice, and also smaller crystallite size with high surface area and its morphological features. Moreover, the Eu3+ plays an essential role in reducing the band gap, hampering recombination, and the generation of free radicals, thus the QDs promoted attractive degradation activity and high stability.

Automated summary

SnS and Eu-doped SnS quantum dots were synthesized by a facile chemical co-precipitation method and showed efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic dye molecules under visible light irradiation. The presence of Eu3+ in the SnS lattice led to smaller crystallite size, higher surface area, and unique morphological features, resulting in enhanced photodegradation efficiency and high stability.