Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Activity of Mixed-Ligand Cerium(III) and Bismuth(III) Complexes

Two ternary complexes (Ce(sal)(3)(phen)(2)) (1) and (Bi(sal)(3)(phen)(2)) (2) with salicylic acid (sal) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) have been synthesized and characterized by analytical techniques such as UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, PXRD, and SEM. The UV-visible study indicated the shifting of peak positions of metal complexes compared with the individual ligands whereas FT-IR analysis demonstrated that the metals were successfully coordinated with different functional groups of the ligands. The photocatalytic properties of prepared complexes were evaluated against Congo red dye as a model pollutant under ultraviolet and sunlight irradiation. The degradation efficiency of complex (2) was greater than that of complex (1). The results indicated that the investigated complexes can be employed as potential candidates for photocatalytic breakdown of synthetic dyes and can be safely recommended for environmental remediation.