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Multifunctional and smart Er2O3–ZnO nanocomposites for electronic ceramic varistors and visible light degradation of wastewater treatment

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Abstract

In this proposed study, erbium (Er3+)-doped ZnO nanocomposites were prepared through the effective, basic, and green combustion method. The significant effects of Er dopants on the structural, morphological features, dielectric, and optical behaviors of the pure ZnO matrix as well as Er2O3–ZnO nanostructured materials were investigated applying X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectrophotometer techniques. These results showed that the synthesized Er2O3–ZnO nanocomposites are well polycrystalline. The Er2O3–ZnO nanocomposites are almost uniformly distributed on the surface morphologies. Furthermore, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, AC electrical conductivity, and dielectric properties’ current–voltage characteristics were utilized to examine the influence of erbium doping on the optical properties, energy bandgaps of the proposed Er2O3–ZnO nanostructured powder. The tested nano-samples were applied for the visible light photodegradation of p-chlorophenol(4-CP) and p-nitrophenol (4-NP). The Er-doped ZnO ratio affects the photocatalytic activity of the ZnO matrix. This current research substantiated that more than 99.5% of 4-CP and 4-NP were photodegraded through 30 min of irradiation. Four times, the Er:ZnO nanocatalysts were used and still displayed an efficiency of more than 96.5% for 4-CP and 4-NP degradations in the specified period of 30 min. The as-prepared Er2O3–ZnO nanostructures are considered novel potential candidates in broad nano-applications from visible photocatalytic degradation of waste pollutants to the electronic varistor devices.

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Availability of data and materials

In this current research, the datasets obtained and analyzed are available with the corresponding author, “Dr.Thekrayat AlAbdulaal.”

Funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through research groups program under grant number R.G.P. 2/64/40.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha, Saudi Arabia

    Thekrayat AlAbdulaal, Manal AlShadidi, Vanga Ganesh, Hamed Algarni, Heba Zahran & Ibrahim Yahia

  2. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy, Cairo, 11757, Egypt

    Mai Hussien

  3. Nanoscience Laboratory for Environmental and Bio-medical Applications (NLEBA), Semiconductor Lab., Metallurgical Lab.1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy, Cairo, 11757, Egypt

    Mai Hussien, Heba Zahran & Ibrahim Yahia

  4. Research Unit, Physics of Insulating and Semi-insulating Materials, Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, B.P.1171, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia

    Abdel-Fatah Bouzidi

  5. Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Centre, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, SA1 8EN, United Kingdom

    Saqib Rafique

  6. Center of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Abdel-wahab

  7. Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha, 61413, Saudi Arabia

    Ibrahim Yahia

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  1. Thekrayat AlAbdulaal
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  2. Manal AlShadidi
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  3. Mai Hussien
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  6. Saqib Rafique
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  7. Hamed Algarni
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  8. Heba Zahran
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  9. Mohamed Abdel-wahab
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  10. Ibrahim Yahia
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Contributions

Thekrayat AlAbdulaal: formal analysis – equal, investigation – equal, methodology – equal, visualization – equal, writing – original draft – equal, writing – review and editing – equal

Manal AlShadidi: data curation – lead, formal analysis – equal, investigation – equal, visualization – equal, writing – original draft – equal

Mai Hussien: investigation – equal, methodology – equal, visualization – equal, writing – original draft – equal

Vanga Ganesh: methodology – equal, validation – equal

Abdel-Fatah Bouzidi: methodology – equal, visualization – equal, writing – original draft – equal

Saqib Rafique: investigation – equal, software – equal

Hamed Algarni: project administration – equal, validation – equal

Heba Zahran: methodology – equal, software – equal

Mohamed Abdel-wahab: methodology – equal, software – equal

Ibrahim Yahia: funding acquisition – lead, project administration – lead, resources – lead, writing – review and editing – lead

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thekrayat AlAbdulaal.

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Dr. Ibrahim Yahia has approved the ethics of this study.

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Not applicable

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All authors agreed to publish this work in the journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Sami Rtimi

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AlAbdulaal, T., AlShadidi, M., Hussien, M. et al. Multifunctional and smart Er2O3–ZnO nanocomposites for electronic ceramic varistors and visible light degradation of wastewater treatment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 19109–19131 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16754-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16754-6

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