Mapping the Compositions of Zinc Tantalate for Optimum Photocatalytic Performance in Degradation of Organic Pollutants

This work aims at mapping the compositions of zinc tantalate for optimum photocatalytic performance in degradation of organic pollutants. Three zinc tantalates, low-temperature form ZnTa2O6 (LT-ZnTa2O6), high-temperature form ZnTa2O6 (HT-ZnTa2O6), and Zn3Ta2O8 were prepared by solid state method. Photocatalytic activities of these zinc tantalates were tested for the degradation of methyl orange under UV irradiation and compared with Sr2Ta2O7, an efficient catalyst previously reported. It is found that the photocatalytic activity of these tantalates follows such a sequence: LT-ZnTa2O6 > Sr2Ta2O7 > HT-ZnTa2O6 > Zn3Ta2O8, in which LT-ZnTa2O6 shows an optimum activity at least twice higher than Sr2Ta2O7. This photocatalytic performance was revealed to primarily originate from the formation of ·OH radicals as indicated by photo- luminescence measurements. The synergistic effects of chemical compositions, crystal structure, and band structure on photocatalytic performances were discussed.