Optimization, kinetic analysis, and photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B using manganese doped nanoscale nickel oxide nanoparticles

This work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of nanoscale nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles doped with manganese (Mn) utilizing the cost-effective co-precipitation technique. For extensive characterization, a range of analytical methods are used, such as photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV) spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The findings demonstrate that the addition of Mn causes the synthesized nanoparticles' crystalline size to decrease, which narrows the band gap to 3.13 eV. Furthermore, compared to pure NiO (44.11 m2/g), 2 /g), the surface area of Mn-doped NiO increases to 178.87 m2/g. 2 /g. Also as compared to pure NiO the electron-hole recombination rate of % Mn-doped NiO has decreased and an increase in the defect is observed. The study of Mn-doped NiO nanoparticles' photocatalytic activity against Rhodamine B (Rh. B) demonstrates their improved efficiency under solar light irradiation, as evidenced by their degradation up to 97.57 %, which is higher than that of pure NiO (90.94 %) in 70 min. Numerous aspects are investigated, including pH, catalyst dosage, original dye concentration, and scavenger studies. Studies on regeneration show that 5 % Mn-doped NiO nanoparticles may be recycled effectively and steadily for up to five cycles. These results demonstrate how effective photocatalysts for environmental remediation applications may be made from Mndoped NiO nanoparticles.