Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and methyl violet using cation doped (Sn2+ and Ag+) barium tellurite phosphate, Ba2TeO(PO4)2

Abstract

One-dimensional barium tellurite phosphate of composition, Ba₂TeO(PO₄)₂, is prepared by solid state method. Tin (Sn²⁺) and silver (Ag⁺) doped Ba₂TeO(PO₄)₂ materials are prepared via a facile room temperature ion-exchange method. Structural, morphological, and optical properties of all the materials are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, SEM-EDS, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques. The band gap energy (E_g) of all the phosphates is deduced from their Kubelka–Munk (KM) plot. The synthesized phosphates are used as photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue and methyl violet dyes under the visible light irradiation. The systematic degradation pathways of the dyes are studied in the presence of all the photocatalysts and scavengers. The stability and reusability of all the photocatalyst are assessed by the cycling runs in the photodegradation experiment.