Exploring the thermal and photochemical properties of terbium-doped CeO2: a comprehensive assessment

Terbium-enriched CeO2 compounds were synthesized by citric acid sol-gel method. Our primary focus is on morphological and structural design, as well as reconciling the thermo- and photochemical properties inherent to the original structure. The crystal properties and surface morphologies of the synthesized compounds were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses were conducted to study the bond structures and surface areas. In addition, excitation and emission spectra were obtained using a photoluminescence spectrophotometer. TG-DTA analysis was also performed to examine the thermal properties. A cubic crystal lattice compound was obtained. Rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) were used in dye degradation studies for 5 mg and 20 mg of photocatalyst compounds. The compound with the highest efficiency was found to be MB at 86% for 5 mg of photocatalyst compounds. The band gap of the 20TbCe compound was calculated as 2.26 eV. According to the photoluminescence results, green radiation was obtained.