Rapid degradation of organic dyes under sunlight using tin-doped ZnS nanoparticles

Herein, pure ZnS and Sn-doped (1-5 wt%) ZnS nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by simple chemical co-precipitation method. The average crystallite sizes of synthesized NPs determined using Debye-Scherrer formula were found to be between 3 and 5 nm. Morphological features of ZnS NPs were determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The microscopy result showed that the samples had microspherical structure and were assembled by tiny particles. UV-Vis studies were performed for the determination of bandgap of the samples. The compositional information of photocatalysts was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity of NPs was evaluated by taking methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange dyes as model pollutants and their comparative degradation behavior has been discussed. The Sn-doped ZnS NPs displayed excellent photodegradation efficiency of 93% for MB dye compared to 49% for ZnS.