PROFICIENT PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF METHYLENE BLUE DYE USING Ti-DOPED CdSe NANOPARTICLES UNDER SOLAR LIGHT IRRADIATION

Abstract

The present analysis explores the photocatalytic activity of Ti-doped CdSe and undoped CdSe nanoparticles towards Methylene Blue (MB) dye degradation under solar light irradiation. The as prepared Ti-CdSe and mere CdSe nanoparticles were characterized using XRD, UV, FTIR, TGA, SEM and TEM analysis. TEM micrographs confirm the synthesized samples are in nanometer regime. The insertion of Titania onto CdSe lattice was confirmed by XRD and SEM-EDAX analysis. The absorption spectrum of Ti doped CdSe nanoparticles showed blue shift (lower wavelength) than mere CdSe. Ti-CdSe nanoparticles have greater thermal stability than mere CdSe nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of the Ti-CdSe nanoparticles photocatalyst was determined by degrading a MB dye under solar light irradiation. Ti-CdSe nanoparticles maintain high photocatalytic activity under solar light irradiation in comparison to mere CdSe nanoparticles. Low electron-hole pair recombination with increased efficiency was observed under solar light due to the strong absorption by the photocatalyst under solar light. The main active species responsible for catalytic degradation are H+ and OH˙. The probable catalytic mechanism was proposed from the experimentally derived results.