Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Pure and Bi-doped ZnS Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Application

In the present research, a simple solvothermal microwave irradiation (SMI) method has been adopted for the preparation and synthesis of pure and Bi doped ZnS nanoparticles using zinc acetate, bismuth acetate, thiourea and ethylene glycol were utilized as precursors. As-synthesized pure and Bi doped ZnS nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). From the XRD and EDAX studies, crystallite size, lattice parameter and analysis of the elemental compositions are calculated and analyzed respectively. The UV-vis spectra revealed that the optical band gap energy of pure and Bi doped ZnS nanoparticles was calculated. The FESEM shows that the average particle size spherical and agglomerated of as-synthesized pure and Bi doped ZnS nanoparticles sizes were decreased. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of pure and Bi doped ZnS nanoparticles was studied with methylene blue dye in an aqueous solution under UV light irradiation; the 5.0 mol % of Bi doped ZnS nanoparticles dye degradation efficiency of the sample was calculated as 75% in 120 minutes.