Yttrium Doped MoO3 Nanoplates as Photocatalysts for Enhanced Removal of Organic dyes in Aqueous Solutions

The release of organic dyes into the environment is a significant concern, as they are toxic and carcinogenic, and contribute to water pollution, posing health risks to all living beings. Effective and environmentally friendly approaches such as photocatalysts are essential to deal with organic dyes in industrial wastes. The affordable and environmentally friendly properties of MoO3 make it a superior photocatalyst compared to other materials. In this study, explores a co-precipitation method was used to synthesize undoped and Yttrium-Doped MoO3 nanoparticles and its analyzed using various characterization techniques. From structural analysis revealed that all the studied samples were exhibited a monoclinic structure. SEM images showed uniform nanoplate like morphology with reduced particle agglomeration at optimal doping levels which indicates that Yttrium doping concentration affects the morphology. The performance of Yttrium doping on MoO3 nanoparticles as efficient photocatalyst was further demonstrated in the degradation of various pollutants such as MB, CV and Rh B under visible light irradiation and it shows well photocatalytic activity during the degradation of Rh B under visible light. It was found that an appropriate amount of Y³⁺ dopant can greatly increase photocatalytic activity and the sample with 7 wt. % of Y³⁺ doping exhibits the highest photocatalytic efficiency at 91.5% for Rhodamine B after 140 min of exposure to visible light. Based on kinetic analyses, the photocatalytic performance of the 7 wt.% Y³⁺ doping MoO3 sample showed four times higher efficient than that of the undoped MoO3. The results highlight how controlled Y³⁺ incorporation can dramatically improve the photocatalytic properties of MoO3, positioning 7 wt.% Y³⁺: MoO₃ as a highly promising material for environmental remediation applications.