Europium-Doped Y2O3-Coated Diatomite Nanomaterials: Hydrothermal Synthesis, Characterization, Optical Study with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Eu-doped Y2O3 coated diatomite nanostructures with variable Eu3+ contents were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal technique. The products were characterized by means of energy dispersive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques. As claimed by PXRD, the particles were crystallized excellently and attributed to the cubic phase of Y2O3. The influence of substitution of Eu3+ ions into Y2O3 lattice caused a redshift in the absorbance and a decrease in the bandgap of as-prepared coated compounds. The pore volume and BET specific surface area of Eu-doped Y2O3-coated diatomite is greater than uncoated biosilica. The sonophotocata-lytic activities of as-synthesized specimens were evaluated for the degradation of Reactive Blue 19. The effect of various specifications such as ultrasonic power, catalyst amount, and primary dye concentration was explored.

Automated summary

Eu-doped Y2O3 coated diatomite nanostructures were synthesized by a hydrothermal method with variable Eu3+ contents, and characterized by various techniques. The substitution of Eu3+ ions into Y2O3 lattice caused a redshift in absorbance and a decrease in bandgap, while increasing pore volume and BET specific surface area of the coated compounds. The sonophotocatalytic activities of the synthesized specimens for dye degradation were explored with different specifications such as ultrasonic power, catalyst amount, and dye concentration.