Inferring the physical properties of La-substituted ZnO nanorods and nanoflowers for the photodegradation of Congo red azo dye

The chemical bath deposition technique was employed to synthesize unsubstituted and different percentages of La-substituted ZnO-nanoscaled thin films on a glass substrate with nominal concentrations of 0.0%, 3%, and 7%. Microwave irradiation effects on the photocatalyst of La-substituted ZnO samples for photodegradation of Congo red dye were investigated. Crystallographic parameters of unsubstituted and La-substituted ZnO were scrutinized by XRD. It was verified that as-synthesized samples belong to the wurtzite structure. Chemical stretching of the as-prepared samples was detected using an FTIR spectrum which reflects that La substitutes in ZnO lattice. A peak of 1630 cm(-1) is presently owing to the ZnO stretching and deformation. The band gap of unsubstituted and La-substituted ZnO was evaluated using a UV-Vis spectrometer, and it was substantiated that the energy band gap suppresses as La content enhances which states the existence of red shift. The electric property such as resistance of unsubstituted and La-substituted ZnO nanomaterial was intended by I-V characteristics. The optical property with surface defect study was elucidated by fluorescence spectroscopy. Visible light photosensitivity was intended by I-V characteristics.