Controlled growth of hexagonal Zn2GeO4 nanorods on carbon fibers for photocatalytic oxidation of p-toluidine

Abstract

In this paper, hexagonal Zn₂GeO₄ nanorods grown on the surface of carbon fibers (CFs) that were pre-activated by sodium hypochlorite were prepared by a facile solvothermal method. The possible growth mechanism has been investigated by theoretical calculations and a simulation experiment by growth of Zn₂GeO₄ on a 2D flat surface of graphene. The (113) crystal facet of Zn₂GeO₄ nanorods attached to the CFs surface was the most stable structure. Due to the synergistic effect between the photocatalytic activity of Zn₂GeO₄ and excellent adsorption capacity of CFs, the resultant Zn₂GeO₄/CFs composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for oxidation of p-toluidine.