Synthesis and characterization of ZrO2 and carbon-doped ZrO2 nanoparticles for photocatalytic application

Un-doped and carbon-doped zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles were synthesized through the simple sol-gel method. The synthesized doped and un-doped nanoparticles were later characterized using various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The optical properties were evaluated using photoluminescence and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The optimum doping level of the atom dopant for enhanced PL properties was analyzed through optical study. It was found that band gap of the synthesized nanoparticles increases with increase in the carbon doping amount and the presence of peaks of Zr 4p, Zr 3d, Zr 3p3/2, Zr 3p1/2, and Zr 3s at 28.5, 181.5, 333, 346.5, and 433.5 eV indicates the presence of ZrO2 additionally the peak of O 1s at 530.9 eV is ascribed to O- 2 in ZrO2. Two peaks overlap around 282.5 and 286.7 eV, which possibly originate from carbon in Zr-C and Zr-O-C bonds. The antibacterial property of the synthesized carbon doped and un-doped nanoparticles was well investigated and elucidated. Results obtained revealed that the carbon-doped ZrO2 nanoparticles exhibit enhanced antibacterial activities in comparison to the un-doped ZrO2, which could be attributed to the significant carbon synergistic effect.