Photocatalytic performances and activities in Ag-doped ZnAl2O4nanorods studied by FTIR spectroscopy

Abstract

Porous and rod-shaped nanostructures of ZnAl₂O₄ were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The Ag-doped ZnAl₂O₄ catalyst, based on porous ZnAl₂O₄, was prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation strategy and showed an excellent photoelectric property and catalytic activity. The structural properties of the samples were systematically investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Electron spin resonance (ESR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The photocatalytic degradation of toluene by the Ag-doped ZnAl₂O₄, ZnAl₂O₄ and P25 TiO₂ samples was comparatively studied under UV lamp irradiation. The results indicate that the Ag-doped ZnAl₂O₄ sample synthesized at pH = 6 exhibited a higher capacity for the degradation of toluene. No obvious deactivation of the Ag-doped ZnAl₂O₄ nanorods was observed during the prolonged operation of 6 h. The Ag-doped ZnAl₂O₄ nanorods could be potentially applied in environmental purification in the near future.