Hydrothermal synthesized F doped ZrO2 powders with novel photocatalytic activities

Novel photocatalytic F-doped ZrO2 powders were synthesized using the hydrothermal method with varying concentrations of NH4F mineralizer. The impact of F- doping on phase composition, morphology, chemical components, and photocatalytic performance was systematically investigated. As the F- doping content increased, tetragonal-phased ZrO2 gradually transitioned into the monoclinic phase, accompanied by a proportional increase in the grain size of the ZrO2 powders. Furthermore, the particle morphology transformed from spherical to spindle-shaped particles due to distinct growth mechanisms. F- adsorption on the ZrO2 crystal surface led to the growth of rod-like ZrO2 crystalline grains along the [001] direction, facilitating the oriented attachment of rod-like grains to form spindle particles. The incorporation of F- ions enhanced light absorption, narrowed the extrinsic band gap, and augmented the photocatalytic activity of the ZrO2 system. Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange was explored using F-doped ZrO2 under simulated solar irradiation, achieving a notable degradation efficiency of 89.7% in just 40 min with the 0.02F/ZrO2 catalyst. The newly introduced Fdoping energy levels were identified as the primary contributors to the enhanced photocatalytic activity of zirconia.