Investigation of photocatalytic and corrosion resistance properties of Zr-Ag doped SnO2 Nanoparticles: The impact of calcination temperature

Abstract

Herein, the synthesis of Zr-Ag doped SnO2 nanoparticles at different calcinating temperatures via simple chemical methods for photocatalytic and corrosion resistance application has been discussed. The XRD analyses describe that increasing the temperature revealed a polycrystalline nature with an increased crystallite size. The SEM and EDX analyses have confirmed the agglomerated surface morphology and the occurrence of elements in the samples. The Optical properties were evaluated using UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. Redshifts were detected, and samples’ band gap energies decreased from 3.54–3.14 eV. The photocatalytic performance of the nanoparticles in degrading safranin dye under sunlight was evaluated at various calcination temperatures. A degradation percentage of 96.5 % was observed at 500 °C. However, the calcination temperature does not appear to significantly impact the photocatalytic activity, as evidenced by the comparable results of 400 °C (95.7 %) and 600 °C (93.8 %). The electrochemical behavior of the synthesized nanoparticles coated in an MS plate was investigated through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and linear sweep voltammetry studies under an acidic environment. Further, the dense coatings and the annealing temperature provide well-refined grains, leading to dual protection for the MS alloy and enhancing corrosion resistance. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.