Enhancement the photocatalytic performance of semiconductors through composite formation with Eu-TUD-1

In the current article, two different functionalities were employed to enhance the photocatalytic performance of the two famous semiconductors; ZnO and TiO2, under UV light illumination. Eu3+ incorporated TUD-1 mesoporous material (Si/Eu ratio of 10) was wet deposited with ZnO and TiO2 with a mass ratio of 1 Eu-TUD-1: 1 ZnO or TiO2. The prepared composites were characterized by means of XRD, DR UV-Vis, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, EDX and HR-TEM. Characterization data confirmed the presence of Eu2O3 nanoparticles embedded in amorphous silica matrix that support the nanoparticles of commercial ZnO or TiO2. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared materials was examined in the decolourization reaction of methyl green (MG) dye under black light illumination with a wavelength centered at 367 nm and at ambient temperature. The activity of the prepared materials was almost 3.4-3.6 times higher than neat ZnO or TiO2 and almost 1.2-1.3 times higher than same composites without silica, under the same condition. The prepared composites were recycled successfully for four consecutive reaction without significant loss in the case of Eu-TUD-1/TiO2 composite and 18-20% of loss activity in the case of Eu-TUD-1/ZnO composite. Hence, the results suggest the application of prepared material as photocatalyst under UV illumination with strong adsorption affinity.