Abstract: Doping has been proven effective in enhancing the catalytic activity of nanoscale zinc oxide (ZnO) to photocatalyzed reactions. In this paper, we report a facile and effective approach of synthesizing gadolinium(Ⅲ)-doped ZnO nanocrystals with high photocatalytic activity. This one-step solvothermal method uses zinc acetate and Gd(NO)3·6H2O as raw materials, and the Gd3+ concentrations of the products can be controlled by changing the amount of Gd(NO)3·6H2O. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated smaller particle size and more prominent agglomeration of the products with higher Gd3+ content, which was also supported by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) gas adsorption measurement result. The obtained UV-vis absorption spectra proved that the absorption edges of the Gd3+-doped ZnO nanocomposites red-shifted and the band gaps became narrower compared to pure ZnO. Finally, according to the photocatalytic experiment results, Gd3+-doped ZnO nanoparticles exhibit enhanced activity toward the photocatalyzed degradation of Rhodamine-B under simulated sunlight irradiation.
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