Using of Pb-doped ZnO NPs as dye pollution removal under visible illumination

In the present research undoped and Pb-doped ZnO nanoparticles with 2%, 4%, and 6% concentration were synthesized by a sol-gel method in gelatin medium. In this process, gelatin was used as polymerization and ende of the growth process agent. Effects of lead concentration on structural of the samples were characterized by several tools. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) indicated wurtzite and hexagonal phase for all samples. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed spherical and hexagonal shapes for all samples that had diameters in the 42-55 nm. UV-visible spectrometer showed a shift in the absorbance peaks for the doped samples and indicated a red shift. Raman results indicated that the NPs were single crystal with hexagonal and wurtzite phase. Finally, photocatalyst application of the NPs was studied to remove methylene blue dye as one of the pollution in environment.