Sonochemical Synthesis of $PbMoO_4$ Nanoparticles and Evaluation of its Photocatalytic Activity

$PbMoO_4$ nanoparticles were successfully obtained in the presence of ethylene glycol (EG) with the assistance of a prolonged sonication process. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and adsorption-desorption $N_2$ isotherms (BET). The catalyst prepared sonochemically showed higher photocatalytic activity than $PbMoO_4$ prepared by solid-state reaction in the degradation reactions of rhodamine B (rhB), indigo carmine (IC), orange G (OG), and methyl orange (MO) under UV-Vis light radiation. In order to elucidate aspects of the degradation mechanism of the organic dyes, some experimental variables were modified such as pH, $O_2$ level in solution, and radiation source. In general, the photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic dyes followed the sequence IC>OG>rhB>MO.