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Studies on photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B using the valentinite Sb2O3

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Abstract

A facile hydrolysis-precipitation was used to elaborate antimony oxide Sb2O3 (valentinite) and to study its semiconducting and photo-electrochemical properties. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance, Raman and FTIR spectroscopies were used to characterize the oxide. The XRD analysis indicates an orthorhombic phase (SG: Pccn) with a crystallite size of 102 nm. The optical measurements gave a direct gap of 3.32 eV due to a charge transfer O2−: 2p–Sb3+: 6s while the capacity-potential (C−2–E) plot provides a flat band potential of − 0.46 VAg/AgCl. The valence and the conduction bands are located at (− 7.29 eV/2.56 V) and (− 3.97 eV/− 0.76 V), and the energy band diagram of the junction Sb2O3/KOH shows the efficacy of Sb2O3 as photocatalyst. As application, 81% of Rhodamine B (Rh B), a recalcitrant dye with an initial concentration of 5 mg L−1, were mineralized after 7 h under UV light by Sb2O3. According to the inhibitors study, the ·OH radical is the first active specie in the Rh B photo-oxidation, followed by O2·−. The photodegradation follows a zero order kinetic with a photocatalytic half time of 3.8 h, smaller than the photolysis (10.5 h) under UV light (254 nm).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported financially by the Faculty of Chemistry (USTHB, Algiers). The authors would like to thank Dr. B. Bellal for his help in the optical measurement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Electrochemistry-Corrosion, Metallurgy and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, U.S.T.H.B., BP 32, 16111, Algiers, Algeria

    M. Abdellatif, Y. Louafi & S. Kabouche

  2. i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    D. Nunes, T. Freire & E. Fortunato

  3. AlmaScience, Collaborative Lab, Campus da Caparica (the headquarters of FCT – UNL and Nova.id. FCT), Caparica, Almada, Portugal

    D. Nunes & R. Martins

  4. Laboratory of Storage and Valorisation of Renewable Energies, Faculty of the Chemistry, U.S.T.H.B., BP 32, 16111, Algiers, Algeria

    M. Trari

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Abdellatif, M., Louafi, Y., Nunes, D. et al. Studies on photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B using the valentinite Sb2O3. Reac Kinet Mech Cat 136, 1643–1655 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11144-023-02411-1

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