Photocatalytic activity of hexagonal prism Sm(OH)3 nanocrystallites for decomposition of Rhodamine B

Abstract Morphology-controlled samarium hydroxide (Sm(OH) 3 ) nanocrystallites were prepared by a facile hydrothermal process. The phase composition, morphologies and optical properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Results show that the as-prepared Sm(OH) 3 nanocrystallites are hexagonal phase with prism-like microstructures in different sizes with reaction temperatures of 140 °C and 180 °C. These hexagonal prisms exhibit morphology-related ultraviolet absorbing ability with different optical band gaps from 3.89 eV to 3.97 eV. Furthermore, the above samples are found to be able to degrade RhB during photocatalytic reaction process, in which the sample sizes are believed to greatly affect the final degradation efficiency of RhB in the test.