Citation: AlAbdulaal, T.H.; Ganesh,
V.; AlShadidi, M.; Hussien, M.S.A.;
Bouzidi, A.; Algarni, H.; Zahran, H.Y.;
Abdel-wahab, M.S.; Yahia, I.S.; Nasr,
S. The Auto-Combustion Method
Synthesized Eu
2
O
3-
ZnO
Nanostructured Composites for
Electronic and Photocatalytic
Applications. Materials 2022, 15, 3257.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15093257
Academic Editors: Ki-Hyun Kim
and Deepak Kukkar
Received: 5 March 2022
Accepted: 25 April 2022
Published: 1 May 2022
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Article
The Auto-Combustion Method Synthesized Eu
2
O
3-
ZnO
Nanostructured Composites for Electronic and
Photocatalytic Applications
Thekrayat H. AlAbdulaal
1
, Vanga Ganesh
1,
* , Manal AlShadidi
1
, Mai S. A. Hussien
2,3
,
Abdelfatteh Bouzidi
4,5
, Hamed Algarni
1
, Heba Y. Zahran
1,3
, Mohamed Sh. Abdel-wahab
6
,
Ibrahim S. Yahia
1,3,7,
* and Samia Nasr
8,9
1
Laboratory of Nano-Smart Materials for Science and Technology (LNSMST), Department of Physics,
Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia;
talabdulaal@kku.edu.sa (T.H.A.); miss.memaa_-_@hotmail.com (M.A.); halgarni@kku.edu.sa (H.A.);
dr_hyzahran@kku.edu.sa (H.Y.Z.)
2
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy, Cairo 11757, Egypt;
maisalehamar@gmail.com
3
Nanoscience Laboratory for Environmental and Bio-Medical Applications (NLEBA), Semiconductor
Laboratory, Metallurgical Lab, Department of Physics, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy,
Cairo 11757, Egypt
4
Research Unit, Physics of Insulating and Semi-insulating Materials, Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, B.P.
1171, Sfax 3000, Tunisia; abdelfatteh_bouzidi83@yahoo.fr
5
Preparatory Year Program, Shaqra University, Al-Quwayiyah Branch, Sahqra 19248, Saudi Arabia
6
Materials Science and Nanotechnology Department, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies for Advanced Sciences,
Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62511, Egypt; mshaabancnt@gmail.com
7
Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004,
Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
8
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts Touhama, King Khaled University,
Muhayil Asir 63311, Saudi Arabia; smohmed@kku.edu.sa
9
Electrochemistry, Materials, and Environment, Preparatory Institute for Engineering Studies,
Kairouan 3100, Tunisia
* Correspondence: vangaganesh@gmail.com (V.G.); dr_isyahia@kku.edu.sa (I.S.Y.)
Abstract:
An efficient and environmentally friendly combustion technique was employed to produce
ZnO nanopowders with different Eu concentrations (from 0.001 g to 5 g). The structural morphology
of the Eu
2
O
3
-ZnO nanocomposites was examined using XRD, SEM, and infrared spectroscopy (FT-
IR). In addition, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy was also used to investigate the effects
of europium (Eu) dopant on the optical behaviors and energy bandgaps of nano-complex oxides.
The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of phenol and methylene blue was investigated using
all the prepared Eu
2
O
3
-ZnO nanostructured samples. Photocatalytic effectiveness increased when
europium (Eu) doping ratios increased. After adding moderate Eu, more hydroxyl radicals were
generated over ZnO. The best photocatalyst for phenol degradation was 1 percent Eu
2
O
3
-ZnO,
while it was 0.5 percent Eu
2
O
3
-ZnO for methylene blue solutions. The obtained Eu
2
O
3
-doped
ZnO nanostructured materials are considered innovative, promising candidates for a wide range of
nano-applications, including biomedical and photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and phenol.
Keywords:
combustion method; Eu
2
O
3
-ZnO nanostructured composites; structural; optical; electrical;
photocatalytic activity
1. Introduction
Recently, more attention has been paid to wastewater treatment for human society.
Phenolics are particular contaminants frequently produced from a wide range of industrial
products, including textiles, pesticides, gunpowder, dyes, and plastics [
1
,
2
]. Most of these
Materials 2022, 15, 3257. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15093257 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials
