Synthesis of hexagonal-like ZnO/Ag composite with excellent photocatalytic activity
- Author(s): Ming Hua Wang 1 ; Hong Lan Cai 1 ; Zhen Liang Guo 1 ; Qing An Qiao 1 ; Shu Hua Ren 1 ; Dong Dong Zhu 1 ; Zhong Xin Xue 1
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View affiliations
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Affiliations:
1:
School of Chemistry and Material Science , Ludong University , Yantai, Shandong, 264025 , People's Republic of China
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Affiliations:
1:
School of Chemistry and Material Science , Ludong University , Yantai, Shandong, 264025 , People's Republic of China
- Source:
Volume 14, Issue 6,
29
May
2019,
p.
656 – 660
DOI: 10.1049/mnl.2018.5308 , Online ISSN 1750-0443
Hexagonal-like zinc oxide (ZnO)/silver (Ag) composite was successfully synthesised by a flux/solvothermal route, and Ag nanoparticles are loaded on ZnO. Compared with pure ZnO, the attachment of Ag on ZnO can significantly increase visible-light absorption and reduce photoluminescence emission intensity. The photocatalytic performance of ZnO/Ag composite was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B solution under ultraviolet (UV) light and visible light irradiation. The degradation rate of ZnO/Ag composite is obviously improved compared with pure ZnO and the commercial TiO2 (P25) and is more than 2.5 and 2.9 times faster than that of pure ZnO under the UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of ZnO/Ag composite under UV irradiation was ascribed to the formation of Schottky barriers between Ag particles and ZnO. However, the superior photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation could be attributed to the surface plasmon resonance of Ag particles.
Inspec keywords: surface plasmon resonance; nanoparticles; ultraviolet spectra; visible spectra; photocatalysts; nanocomposites; nanofabrication; silver; semiconductor growth; crystal growth from solution; zinc compounds; photoluminescence; II-VI semiconductors; wide band gap semiconductors; Schottky barriers; dyes
Other keywords: silver nanoparticles; visible light irradiation; surface plasmon resonance; zinc oxide-silver composite; flux-solvothermal route; ZnO-Ag; photoluminescence emission intensity; photocatalytic activity; Schottky barriers; visible-light absorption; rhodamine B solution; UV irradiation
Subjects: Nanofabrication using crystal growth techniques; Visible and ultraviolet spectra of composite materials; Crystal growth; Crystal growth from solution; Optical properties of composite materials (thin films, low-dimensional and nanoscale structures); Photoluminescence in composite materials; Heterogeneous catalysis at surfaces and other surface reactions; Nanometre-scale semiconductor fabrication technology
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