Sol Gel synthesis of highly efficient Mn doped ZnO nanostructures for the effective photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

The development of highly efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants is critical for addressing environmental pollution challenges. Herein, Zinc Oxide and (Mn-doped ZnO) nanomaterials were synthesized via a facile sol-gel method and evaluated for the photocatalytic removal of 3, 4, 5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde under a visible light source. ZnO and other transition metal oxides are appreciated because they are stable, affordable, and can be used in photocatalysis. However, their reliance on UV light absorption limits their practical applications. The incorporation of Mn into the ZnO lattice, which enhanced visible light absorption and reduced charge carrier recombination, was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), while morphological analysis via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed uniform nanostructures with enhanced surface area. Moreover, crystallite sizes ranging from 20 nm and bandgap energy of approximately 2.78 eV, confirm the successful modification of ZnO’s optical properties. Mn-doped ZnO nanostructures produced via the sol-gel process were tested for photocatalytic degradation of 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde under visible light irradiation. The optimized Mn-doped ZnO catalyst exhibited exceptional photodegradation activity, achieving over 90% degradation of 3, 4, 5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde within 120 min, in comparison to pure ZnO, which demonstrated 84% photodegradation activity within 120 min. The enhanced performance was attributable to the excellent separation of charge carriers and increased visible light absorption caused by Mn doping, indicating the potential of synthesized nanostructures for practical wastewater treatment applications.