Mechanochemical and microwave treatment of precipitated zirconium dioxide and study of its physical–chemical, thermal and photocatalytic properties

The effects of the microwave treatment (MWT) and mechanochemical treatment (MChT) on the structure and physicochemical properties of precipitated zirconium oxide were investigated. The obtained materials were characterized using the N adsorption/desorption, thermogravimetry (TG, DTG, DTA), XRD and UV–Vis/DRS methods. Photocatalytic properties of the samples were also studied as regards the rhodamine B (RhB) degradation in the aqueous solution. The results show that the microwave and MChT, differing in mill rotation speed, temperature or treatment media, causes significant changes in the porous structure of the obtained samples. In most samples, the specific surface area increase was observed. The DTA and XRD results showed the formation of crystalline structure during MWT. As follows from the investigations, each way of modification results in the shift of the absorption edge toward higher wavelength values and causes photocatalytic degradation of RhB under UV irradiation and makes the obtained materials effective photocatalysts in the visible region.