Vanadium Pentoxide Nanoparticles Doped ZnO: Physicochemical, Optical, Dielectric, and Photocatalytic Properties

In this work, vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles (V2O5) derived by the chemical coprecipitation route were used to synthesize various vanadium-doped ZnO nanocomposite samples via the standard solid-state reaction process. The effect of V2O5 nanoparticles on the physicochemical properties of ZnO was discussed. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy. A diffuse reflectance spectroscopic approach is described to determine the bandgap energy (Eg) of the samples. The dielectric and photocatalytic characteristics are also examined. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared materials was tested under visible light using methylene blue (MB) as a pollutant dye model. As a result, it is found that the addition of V2O5 enhances the photodegradation of MB. The kinetics of the photodegradation reaction was found to follow a pseudo-first-order model.