Efficient Al-doped ZnO nanostructured synthesis by laser-assisted chemical bath: structural, optical, and photocatalytic activity using blue laser irradiation

This study used laser-assisted chemical bath synthesis (LACBS) as a simple, catalyst-free hydrothermal approach to synthesize pure and Al-doped ZnO nanostructures. Under the influence of a blue laser, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue has been studied (444.5 nm of wavelength and 8000 lx of light intensity). For the first time, LACBS produced numerous doping concentrations (2, 4, and 6%) using a continuous blue laser (power is 7 W and wavelength is 444.5 nm). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and UV–vis spectrophotometry were used to verify the structural and optical properties of the prepared nanostructures. It has been demonstrated that ZnO:Al (6%) nanosheets have a significant role in the rapid photodegradation caused by blue laser irradiation. The efficiency for methylene blue degradation varies from 85.9, 86.3, and 99.4 to 99.7% for the pure and ZnO:Al (2, 4, and 6%), respectively. This improved photocatalytic activity is attributed to the increased catalytic activity and surface area of Al-doped ZnO. Using UV–visible spectroscopy, the photocatalytic efficiency was determined from the absorption spectra. The photocatalytic activity is increased due to a combination of the Al-plasmonic effect and ZnO surface imperfections that enable the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and shift the absorption edge of the hybrid nanostructure toward the visible spectrum region. Effective visible light absorption and improved dye degradation efficiency are caused by band-edge tuning in ZnO:Al nanostructured.