Co-Reduction Synthesis and Characterization of Yb3+-substituted ZnS Nanoparticles and Investigation of Catalytic Performance

Pure and Yb3+-doped ZnS (YbxZn1−xS) nanoparticles were prepared in this research via hydrothermal route at 160 °C and for 12 h. The obtained products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Analyses of XRPD data showed that the particles were perfectly crystallized and assigned to the cubic structure of zinc sulfide. TEM and SEM images indicated that the sizes of particles were in the range of 10-80nm. The photocatalytic performance of Yb3+- doped ZnS nanoparticles was assessed in an aqueous solution by observing the decolorization of Tartrazine (Yellow 5) in the process of visible-light radiation. The degradation percentage of Yb0.06Zn0.94S and bare ZnS were 92.15 and 22.10%, respectively, after 100 min of treatment. Six percent Yb3+-doped ZnS nanoparticles demonstrated the highest removal efficiency among various values of the dopant agent. It was noticed that the existence of inorganic ions such as C2O4 2−, I−, and other radical scavengers including benzoquinone and butanol decreased the decolorization efficiency.