Solvothermal synthesis of nanoscale disc-like gadolinium doped magnesium zirconate for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B in water

Abstract

Highly ordered nanoscale disc-like cubic gadolinium doped magnesium zirconate (Gd:MgZrO3) was synthesized by facile solvothermal route. The reaction time was found to be crucial in determining the final morphology of disc-like Gd:MgZrO3. After studying the particles from time-dependent experiments, it is observed that, the formation of disc-like particles involved a complex process, in which rod-like or agglomerate particles were favorably formed after the initial thermal treatment. Owing to the chemical instability, they would turn into disc-like particles. After calcination, the generated product possessed good photocatalytic performance for the degradation of Rhodamine B (50 mg l−1) under UV light irradiation in contrast to morphologies of Gd:MgZrO3 and other related state-of-the-art photocatalysts (e.g., TiO2, ZnO, WO3, BiVO4, Fe2O3, and g-C3N4). The catalyst could be used for five cycles, maintaining its efficiency above 94.2%. These capacities made the disc-like Gd:MgZrO3 a potential candidate for polluted water treatment. Also, the underlying photocatalysis mechanism of Gd:MgZrO3 was proposed through radical trapping experiments.