Synthesis and Characterization of Mg/N co-doped ZnO Semiconductors for Photocatalyst Applications
Lisa Desril Putri(a), Nadia Maharani Chadiza(a), M. Anwar Sadad(a), Tety Sudiarti(a*), Atthar Luqman Ivansyah(b)

(a) Chemistry, Science and Technology, Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University, Bandung, Indonesia
(a) Chemistry, Science and Technology, Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University, Bandung, Indonesia
(a) Chemistry, Science and Technology, Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University, Bandung, Indonesia
(a) Chemistry, Science and Technology, Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University, Bandung, Indonesia
*(tety.sudiarti[at]uinsgd.ac.id)
(b) Chemistry, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

River water pollution due to the disposal of dye waste without further treatment has become a serious problem in Indonesia today. Simple water treatment using sunlight for photocatalysis can be a promising solution. ZnO semiconductor has been widely known to have benefits in various fields, one of which is in photocatalysis applications. However, ZnO is known to have the poor photocatalytic ability in the visible light region so its utilization is limited. Doping is a technique to increase the photocatalytic ability of ZnO. In this study, the synthesis of Mg and N co-doped ZnO (Mg/N-ZnO) was carried out using the solid-state method. XRD and SEM analyzed the characteristics and morphology of Mg/N-ZnO. The results of the XRD analysis confirmed the formation of ZnO crystals with a hexagonal wurtzite structure with high crystallinity. The average crystal size obtained from the sample is 25 nm. SEM showed the morphology of Mg/N-ZnO in the form of nanorods. Testing the ability of photocatalytic activity of Mg/N-ZnO was carried out/evaluated against a solution of methyl violet dye. The results of photocatalysis showed a very good degradation ability of methyl violet dye with a degradation percentage of 96% after irradiation with visible light for 120 minutes. These excellent results prove the success of the Mg/N double-doped ZnO synthesis using the solid-state method in increasing the photocatalytic ability of ZnO in the visible light region.

Keywords: Mg/N co-doped ZnO- solid state- photocatalysis

Topic: Environmental Chemistry and Engineering