Synthesis of next-generation antimony-doped tin oxide-based photocatalyst nanoparticles for the removal of organic dyes (RhB) from wastewater

Environmental limitation, all environments pose serious threats and are increasing day by day. Soil and water, which are habitats for all living things, are seriously affected by this damage. When dyes in industrial wastes are released into water resources before being purified, water resources are not polluted. Therefore, environmentally friendly methods must be used for these waste materials. Therefore, low-cost cleaning processes of water contaminated with dye molecules are needed. There are various physical, chemical and biological techniques to obtain a control certificate that prevents water violations. Photocatalytic methods are among the options that can provide effective solutions for this purpose. Photocatalytic properties are metal oxides with cleaning properties that store organic dye molecules by producing chemical solutions triggered by electron excitation thanks to solar radiation, transforming them into harmless care and remaining unchanged during this process. The most commonly used photocatalyst today is titanium dioxide (TiO₂). Although its properties have been shown for some technological applications, problems such as performance drawbacks, rapid electron-hole combination, storage of activity against UV radiation, which is a small fraction of sunlight, and the formation of various polymorphic TiO₂ with different photocatalytic properties in synthesized packages, limit the usability/efficiency of TiO₂. The main target of this thesis is to develop tin dioxide (SnO₂) based photocatalytic methods with increased functional properties. SnO₂ is a system suitable for photocatalytic applications, especially in nanoparticle form, due to its chemical stability in liquid environment, low cost that allows water-based synthesis from different Sn salts, non-toxicity and electronic structure suitable for metallic ion amplification to control optelectronic properties. SnO₂-based particles will be synthesized by hydrothermal methods that allow size control at the nanoscale and improvement of crystal properties. In studies to be carried out in this context, the effects of experimental synthesis variables such as synthesis temperature, pressure, time, concentration ratios of starting solutions and Ph on "performance-related critical nanoparticle properties" will be investigated for the controlled and repeatable synthesis of nanoparticles. Changes in all structural, physical and optoelectronic properties of the nanoparticles to be synthesized will be determined parametrically. Photocatalytic properties of SnO₂ nanoparticles depending on the amount of Sb added will be examined comparatively and their degradation performance of methylene-blue, methylene-orange, rhodamine-B, and Congo-red dyes commonly found in wastewater. With comparative kinetic analyses, the chemical resistance and ion release properties of Sb-doped SnO₂ particles suitable for the removal of dyestuffs related to the "performance-related properties of critical nanoparticles" and the "amount of Sb doping" and effective cleaning of water will be determined.