INFLUENCES OF pH ON MORPHOLOGY AND PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF Ta-ZnO NANOMATERIALS PREPARED BY HYDROTHERMAL METHOD

Abstract

The synthesis of Ta-doped ZnO nanomaterials (TZ) was carried out in this study using the hydrothermal
method. The synthesis was performed at various pH levels (9, 11, and 14), with a concentration of 2% mol of
Ta. The shape and photocatalytic effectiveness of TZ materials are greatly influenced by the pH of the
solution. The surface morphology (SEM) experiments revealed the formation of rods at a pH of 9. However,
the morphology and size of the rods were not consistent. Nevertheless, their structure and dimensions
become more distinct and consistent when the pH is equal to or greater than 11. In addition, the impact of
the pH of the synthesis solution on the photocatalytic activity of the TZ material was investigated by
examining the Rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition reaction. The findings indicated a positive correlation
between pH levels and the effectiveness of photodecomposition, with higher pH values resulting in a steady
increase in efficiency. The RhB breakdown efficiency of TZ14 particles, produced at pH = 14, was much
higher than that of undoped ZnO, with an approximate increase of 2.5 times. In addition, the impact of RhB
concentration and catalyst content on the effectiveness of RhB photodegradation was also investigated.