Structural differences and adsorption behaviour of alkaline metals doped zinc oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanotechnology plays a vital role in all the scientific fields including environmental research due to their surface: volume ratio compared to bulk materials. Recent studies prove their effectiveness as pollutant removal and remediation practices. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles a multifunctional material with distinct properties and their doped counterparts were widely being studied in different fields of science. However, its application in environmental waste treatment is starting to gain attention due to its low cost and high productivity. Heavy metal pollution is one of the major pollutants affecting aquatic and terrestrial life forms. Pollution in water bodies has also raised alarming concerns in the past decades. Most of the heavy metals are essential elements in trace amounts and omnipresent in the environment, causing toxicity for living organisms, for instance, nickel. In our work, we analysed the prospect of selective removal of nickel ions by different alkaline metals (K+, Rb+, and Cs+) doped zinc oxide nanoparticles fabricated by different treatment methods (as-prepared and heat-treated). We found morphological variations from flower like to rod like owing to the alkaline cations of the dopants. In addition, the crystal structure and its different fractions presented amorphous content of the fabricated samples increased from 2 to 10 wt% with respect to the atomic radius of dopant in as-prepared samples and not present in heat-treated samples. We report, how the structure and the sample composition directly affected their adsorption behaviour towards Nickel ions in aqueous solutions based on the micro and nano zincite ratio of the ZnO particles.

Lanthanide (Eu, Tb, La)-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Whey as an Eco-Friendly Chelating Agent

“…In general, the binding energies of Eu 4d spin-orbit doublets lie between 135 and 142.5 eV for Eu(III) and between 125 and 134 eV for Eu(II) [37][38][39]. The XPS spectra of Eu 4d core-level exhibit a more complex multiplet structure than spectra from Eu 3d core-level, due to the strong 4d-4f electrostatic interaction between the hole configuration 4d 9 (with two possible states 2 D3/2 and 2 D5/2) and the open 4f 6 sub-shell in the final state. Therefore, the photoionization of the Eu 4d core-level results in a J = L − S multiplet splitting, giving rise to the final state multiplets 7 D and 9 D [38,40].…”

“…Nanotechnology has often been listed among leading technologies towards sustainable growth and development [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Green or sustainable nanomaterials' concepts are based on sustainable green chemistry principles through the design, production, usage, and the entire life cycle of nanomaterials.…”

Effect of Thermal Treatment on the Structure and Morphology of Vanadium Doped ZnO Nanostructures Obtained by Microwave Assisted Sol–Gel Method

“…The incorporation of a dopant into the zincite crystal structure should modify the lattice constants [ 29 , 45 ]. The presence of an amorphous phase containing vanadium-based compounds at the surface of the crystallites could lead to the formation of the new crystalline phase during thermal treatment [ 46 ]. According to other groups [ 30 , 31 , 32 ], the possible secondary phases could be V 2 O 3 , VO 2 , V 2 O 5 , Zn 3 (VO 4 ) 2 , and Zn 2 V 2 O 7 .…”

Ligand-modified eggshells for rapid naked-eye detection and removal of trace level Ni2+ ions

“…This accumulation is detrimental to the organisms themselves and to the creatures that consume them, potentially posing health risks to humans who consume seafood contaminated with elevated nickel levels. 9 Ni compounds have been categorized as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), whereas World Health Organization (WHO) has set a limit of 20 ng mL −1 for nickel contamination in drinking water. 10 Therefore, it is of utmost importance to identify and eliminate the Ni 2+ ion pollutant.…”