Photo-degradation of methylene blue using Ta-doped ZnO nanoparticle

A photocatalyst of Ta-doped ZnO was prepared by a modified Pechini-type method. The structural, morphological properties and photocatalytic activity of 1 mol % Ta-doped ZnO samples annealed at different temperatures were characterized. The photo-oxidation of methylene blue under the visible-light irradiation followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. It is found that the photocatalysis of 1% Ta-doped ZnO annealed at 700 °C showed excellent performance of the photodegradation of methylene blue, which was attributed to a competitive trade-off among the crystallinity, surface hydroxyl groups, and specific surface area. The processing parameter such as the pH value also played an important role in tuning the photocatalytic activity. The maximum photodecomposed rate was achieved at pH=8, and an novel model about the absorption of methylene blue on the surface of the catalysts was proposed.