Promising photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange dye via sol-gel synthesized Ag–CdS@Pr-TiO2 core/shell nanoparticles.

In this study, we prepared core–shell structured Ag–CdS@Pr-TiO 2 nanoparticles and investigated its photocatalytic activity for determining the irradiation against degradation of methyl orange under visible region. The composition, morphology, and optical properties of synthesized core/shell nanoparticles were confirmed by a series of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), XPS, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The sharp XRD peaks signify the high crystallinity of the synthesized nanoparticles while the crystalline size evaluated from SEM was observed to be varying in range of 10–30 nm. The photocatalytic behavior of the synthesized Ag–CdS@Pr-TiO 2 core/shell nanoparticles was evaluated and from the discoloration of dye within 30 min, it is observed that the synthesized material has a potential to degrade methyl orange efficiently. • Ag:CdS@Pr:TiO2 core/shell nanoparticles are prepared via sol-gel method. • Optical characterizations confirmed the potential of synthesized nanoparticles for photocatalytic activity. • The synthesized core/shell nanoparticles efficiently degraded the methyl orange dye under visible light within 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]