SrMoO4:0.1Eu/SiO2 Nanocomposites with High Photocatalytic Activity Under Visible Light Irradiation

Mono-dispersed and uniform SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu nanoparticles have been synthesized using a thermal decomposition technique. The prepared SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu nanoparticles have narrower size distribution than the particles synthesized previously using other preparation techniques. In order to improve the photocatalytic performance of SrMoO 4 -based materials, the SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu nanoparticles were also diluted in an amorphous SiO 2 matrix with different concentrations of SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu nanoparticles. Although crystalline SiO 2 is an insulator and has no photocatalytic activity due to its intrinsic properties, the results suggested that the current SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu nanoparticles diluted in amorphous SiO 2 exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance in the degradation process of methyl blue. Large absorption in the visible and ultraviolet light was observed by the UV–vis absorbance spectra. The smallest energy gap in these samples was found to be 2.0 eV. In particular, the photodegradation efficiency of methyl blue over SrMoO 4 -based samples was up to about 88% in 60 min when the quantitative ratio of SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu and SiO 2 was fixed to be 1:2, respectively. By synthesizing the undiluted and SiO 2 diluted SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu samples, this work provides an effective technique to improve the photocatalytic activity of SrMoO 4 -based materials, especially SrMoO 4 :0.1Eu nanoparticles.