Issue 48, 2014

Synthesis of ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag nanoparticles and their photocatalytic application using UV and visible light

Abstract

We report a simple and convenient method for the synthesis of a ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag heterostructure nanoflower by applying a surfactant mediated route. Initially, pure ZnO nanoflowers have been synthesized followed by Au and Ag deposition on ZnO surface using hydrazine hydrate as reducing agent. Structure, crystallinity, and morphology have been assessed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy techniques. The influences of the deposited metal nanoparticles (Au and Ag) on the surface of ZnO have been emphasized by applying the as-synthesized nanostructure in dye degradation under illumination of UV and visible light. The basic motivation behind this work is to find a superior photocatalyst, which can work under UV as well as visible light i.e., to cover the whole range of the solar spectrum. Photocatalytic performances of bare ZnO, ZnO/Au, and ZnO/Ag have been studied thoroughly. Photodegradation results under UV and visible light demonstrated that the incorporation of noble metal nanoparticles significantly (or drastically) increases the catalytic efficiency by promoting the photogenerated charge carrier separation. The main advantage of the proposed ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag semiconductor is that it delays the recombination process of the electron–hole pairs generated by the photon absorption, which in lieu increases the photocatalytic efficiency. It is a challenging issue to fabricate stable photocatalysts which can work under visible light as it covers 43% of sunlight. To investigate the role of photogenerated electrons and holes in dye degradation, scavenging experiments using different scavengers have also been performed.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis of ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag nanoparticles and their photocatalytic application using UV and visible light

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 apr 2014
Accepted
20 may 2014
First published
29 may 2014

RSC Adv., 2014,4, 24962-24972

Synthesis of ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag nanoparticles and their photocatalytic application using UV and visible light

P. Fageria, S. Gangopadhyay and S. Pande, RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 24962 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA03158J

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