ag/zn codoped tio2 (azt) mesoporous nanoparticles: investigation the optical properties via increasing calcination temperatures

Tio₂ nanoparticles codoped with ag/zn (azt) were prepared using a simple sol-gel method. the effect of calcination temperature on the structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of nanoparticles synthesized at temperatures of 400, 500, and 600 °c was investigated. the synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed using various methods, including thermal analysis (tg-dta), x-ray diffraction (xrd), spectrophotometry (uv-vis), electron microscopy (fesem tem), and surface chemical analysis (xps). to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the samples, the degradation of an organic solution of methylene blue (mb) was performed. the results indicated that the calcination temperature significantly affects the microstructure, optical properties, and photocatalytic activity of the samples. the crystal size of azt nanoparticles was approximately 4.15, 8.13, and 13.6 nm, respectively, with increasing calcination temperature. the optimal condition for the photocatalytic degradation of the methylene blue solution was observed at a calcination temperature of 500 °c, with a degradation percentage of 57.9% under visible light irradiation. additionally, the bandgap energy of azt particles decreased from 3.06 ev to 2.25 ev as the calcination temperature increased.