Physicochemical and structural characterization of novel praseodymium and neodymium-incorporated TiO<sub>2</sub> for photocatalytic application

Mahmoud, Hatem A.; Ali, Tarek T.; Nasr, Shereen A.; Mahmoud, Esraa A. A.; Nassr, Lobna A. E.; Mohamed, Ibrahim M. A.; Mahmoud, Hatem A.; Ali, Tarek T.; Nasr, Shereen A.; Mahmoud, Esraa A. A.; Nassr, Lobna A. E.; Mohamed, Ibrahim M. A.

doi:2025.62.3.460

J. Korean Ceram. Soc. > Volume 62(3); 2025 > Article

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society 2025;62(3): 460-471.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43207-024-00472-z

Physicochemical and structural characterization of novel praseodymium and neodymium-incorporated TiO₂ for photocatalytic application

Hatem A. Mahmoud¹, Tarek T. Ali¹, Shereen A. Nasr², Esraa A. A. Mahmoud¹, Lobna A. E. Nassr¹, Ibrahim M. A. Mohamed¹

¹Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt
²Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt

Correspondence

Hatem A. Mahmoud ,Email: hatem.elnakeeb@science.sohag.edu.eg
Ibrahim M. A. Mohamed ,Email: ibrahim_mohamed@science.sohag.edu.eg

Received: September 13, 2024; Revised: November 25, 2024 Accepted: December 29, 2024. Published online: February 6, 2025.

ABSTRACT

Novel photocatalytic metal–organic framework (MOF) materials are an exciting research topic. However, the lack of investigating rare-earth doped semiconductor as well as understanding their physicochemical and structural characterization will prevent commercial or industrial applications. To overcome this obstacle, this study investigates the physicochemical and structural characterization of novel applied Titania-based materials synthesized via MOF strategy for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO). The studied materials are TiO₂, Pr-doped TiO₂ (Pr@TiO₂), and Nd-TiO₂ (Nd@TiO₂) and applied as promising photocatalysts. The synthesized photocatalysts were prepared via metal–organic framework strategy and characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). SEM analysis revealed that only Nd resulted in smaller, more uniform particle sizes. XRD patterns confirmed the retention of the anatase phase in the case of Nd-modification, indicating successful lattice distortions. XPS results showed the chemical existence of Pr and Nd, increased oxygen vacancies, and surface hydroxyl groups, essential for enhanced photocatalytic activity. Photodegradation studies demonstrated that both Pr-TiO₂ and Nd-TiO₂ exhibited better performance compared to TiO₂ without Pr or Nd, following pseudo-first-order kinetics. These findings highlight the potential of Pr and Nd modification in the TiO₂ photocatalysts for efficient environmental remediation, particularly in the treatment of dye-containing wastewater.

Key words: Pr-TiO₂ · Nd-TiO₂ · Structural characterization · Environmental remediation · Wastewater treatment · Photocatalysis