Zn/Mn co‐doped NiO synthesized by sol‐gel route for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye.

This work emphasis on the synthesis of Ni0.2Mn0.02Zn0.02O nanoparticles by facile sol‐gel method. The photocatalytic activity was studied for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under the UV light as a function of dye initial concentration, catalyst dose and pH of the medium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) were utilized for the study of morphological and elemental composition, while XRD analysis was employed for structural study of the prepared material, which formation the phase purity and size was in 20–24 nm range. The bandgap of Zn/Mn co‐doped NiO NPs (3.24 eV) was reduced as compared to pure NiO NPs (3.43 eV). The degradation efficiency of pure NiO NPs and Zn/Mn co‐doped NiO NPs was found to be 70 % (60 min) and 94 % at optimum conditions. The dielectric properties were also studied, which were also improved in response of doping. The findings revealed that the optical and catalytic properties of Zn/Mn co‐doped NiO NPs were improved versus pure NiO NPs, which could be employed for the remediation of dyes in effluents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]