Holmium silicate nanostructures: Simple autocombustion preparation, characterization, and scrutiny of photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Though industrial progress has improved mankind's standard of living, it has also degraded the environment. The lack of freshwater in the cosmos has led researchers to pay close attention to water contamination. The holmium silicate nanostructures with Ho2Si6O9 formula were prepared through a multifuel auto-combustion process involving starch, fructose, and maltose. Obtaining Ho2Si6O9 in the presence of starch results in a pure and morphologically desirable sample. Considering the suitable bandgap (3.01 eV) of Ho2Si6O9, this compound could be a good candidate for the degradation of toxic organic compounds in the UV range. Several factors play a crucial role in the purification of water, such as the type of organic contamination, the content of catalysts, and the concentration of pollutants. Results showed that 50 mg of Ho2Si6O9 decomposed 5 ppm thymol blue in a high percentage (91.4%). The scavenger test revealed that superoxide (O2 ) species played a significant role in photodegradation. The kinetics study confirmed that the maximum efficiency has a maximum rate constant (k ¼ 0.0191 min1 ).