Publication

Abstract : In this study, different concentrations of La3+-substituted NiO nanocatalysts were synthesized through a simple precipitation technique and characterized well with sophisticated instruments. The photocatalytic activity of the La-NiO-1.5% catalyst was substantially higher than that of pristine, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% La3+-substituted NiO samples for the degradation of tetracycline antibiotic pollutant (84.3%) and Congo red aqueous dye (90.2%). The increased efficiency could be attributed to a decrease in photo-induced electron–hole recombination rate by the formation of the La3+ inner energy state. The recycling tests show that the La-NiO-1.5% samples have excellent stability for both CR and TC aqueous pollutant degradation, and the scavenging analysis shows that the and radicals are the primary active radicals for degradation. The possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism was established by the characterization findings.