Effect of Ni doping on structural, optical and magnetic characteristics of ZrO2 nanoparticles with efficient visible light driven photocatalytic activity

Pure ZrO2 and Ni-doped ZrO2 (NZ) based effective photocatalysts have been synthesized by a robust, swift, lowcost co-precipitation method. XRD and Raman analyses confirmed the tetragonal structure of all prepared nanoparticles (NPs), the successful replacement of Ni ions in the zirconia matrix and the presence of O vacancies. SEM images showed highly dispersed particles with spherical morphology. DRS spectra show an extended absorption band to the visible range and a significant reduction of the band gap energy in NZ NPs. The photoluminescence results confirmed efficient delay in the charge carrier recombination owing to the defect states. Interestingly, NZ NPs showed remarkable visible light-driven efficiency against textile dye methylene blue (MB). Meanwhile, 10% NZ NPs have presented the highest degradation efficiency of 94.1% in 120 min, which signified an efficient charge separation due to the more active site on the surface of a photocatalyst. In addition, ferromagnetic behaviour at room temperature is seen in all prepared samples. These concomitant analyses provide new insight into the dual functionality of NZ NPs in waste water treatment technologies and spintronics devices.