Authors: Massard C, Awitor K.O.
Photo-degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution was use as a probe to assess the photocatalytic activity of Gadolinium oxide (Gd2 O3 ) nanoparticles in suspension under UV irradiation. The nanoparticles in suspension were prepared by a polyol method using gadolinium chloride hexahydrate (Gd2 Cl6 .6H2 O) and diethylene glycol (DEG) as starting precursors. The physico-chemical properties of the elaborated suspension are analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) and infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and viscosimetry. The Gd2 O3 nanoparticles in suspension were used as photocatalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under irradiation with UV light. The results of the kinetic studies showed that the photodegradation reactions were followed by a pseudo first order reaction rate law over the first 30 minutes of monitoring. The elaborated Gd2 O3 nanoparticles suspension showed a great efficiency in the photocatalytic test without any addition of a co-catalyst, thus limiting the complexity of the further decontamination process of waste water.
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