Solar-Triggered Engineered Fe Doped ZnS Nanoparticles for Environmental Remediation

Modern society requires cutting-edge technologies built on renewable and sustainable energy sources to address the problems of environmental purification. In the present study, synthesis of pure and iron (Fe) doped zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles were carried out using co-precipitation technique. The prepared samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, UV–visible spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), to reveal the alterations in the structure and morphology of nanomaterials. XRD analysis showed the wurtzite phase of prepared nanoparticles. UV–visible spectroscopy reveals intensive absorption in the visible region upon Fe doping. The inclusion of Fe dopants into ZnS led to a decrease in the bandgap energy. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of specific functional groups linked to the vibrational modes of samples. PL spectroscopy was used to study the transfer behavior of photo-generated electrons and holes in as prepared samples. The photoactivity and kinetics of photo-products were explored by monitoring photo-decolorization of methylene blue (MB) under solar irradiation. Photodecomposition of MB was dramatically increased when Fe-doped samples were employed relative to pristine ZnS. The present study suggests that Fe doped ZnS nanoparticles may be used as an efficient photocatalyst in wastewater treatment and associated environmental applications.