Synthesis, characterization and sonophotocatalytic degradation of an azo dye on Europium doped cadmium selenide nanoparticles

In this study, Eu-doped CdSe nanoparticles with variable Eu3+ content were synthesized by a simple sonochemical method. Eu3+ substitution into the structure of CdSe resulted in a material with new physical properties, composition and morphology. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques. The sonocatalytic efficiency of pure and EuxCd1-xSe samples was evaluated by monitoring the decolorization of RRed 43 in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The BET specific surface area and pore volume of mesoporous europium doped CdSe greatly exceeds in comparison to undoped CdSe samples. Among the different amounts of dopant, 8% Eu-doped CdSe showed the highest catalytic activity. The effects of various parameters such as initial dye concentration, catalyst loading, ultrasonic power, and the presence of radical scavengers were investigated. Superoxide radicals and photogenerated holes were detected as the main oxidative spices.