Room Temperature Growth Of Zno With Highly Active Exposed Facets For Photocatalytic Application

In this article, the flower-like, urchin-like, and rod-like ZnOs were synthesized by a convenient atmospheric hydrothermal method. The crystalline structures, morphologies, exposed crystal faces, and specific surface areas of the as-prepared ZnO samples were analyzed. Rhodamine B (RhB) was used as the simulated pollutant to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the ZnO nanostructures. The flower-like ZnO prepared by controlled hydrothermal method at room temperature for 2 h displayed highest specific surface area and exposed more high active{2 (1) over bar(1) over bar0} facets compared to the other two morphologies of ZnO. In addition, within 2 h of the photocatalytic reaction, the flower-like ZnO results in 99.3% degradation of RhB and produces the most hydroxyl radicals ((OH)-O-center dot) 47.83 mu mol/g and superoxide anions (O-center dot(2)-) 102.78 mu mol/g. Due to the existence of oxygen vacancies on the surface of {2 (1) over bar> (1) over bar0} facets, the flower-like ZnO can efficiently catalyze the production of active oxygen, leading to the improvement in the photocatalytic efficiency.