Sol-gel fabrication of Ag-Coated ZnO quantum dots nanocomposites with excellent photocatalytic activity

被引：0

作者：

Wang, Xinli ^{[1
,2
]}

Li, Jin ^{[1
,2
]}

机构：

[1] Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Solid State Physics and Devices, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, Xinjiang,830046, China

[2] College of Physical Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, Xinjiang,830046, China

来源：

Optical Materials | 2021年 / 118卷

关键词：

Zinc oxide;

D O I：

暂无

中图分类号：

学科分类号：

摘要：

The development of metal/semiconductor photoactive materials has progressed remarkably with respect to heterogeneous photocatalysis. In this study, pristine ZnO quantum dots (ZQ) and Ag/ZQ nanocomposites with different Ag loadings were prepared using a cost-effective method. The synthesized samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance analyses. Photocatalytic experiments indicated that the Ag11/ZQ nanocomposite (Ag content of 11 wt%), exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation. A combination of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, time-resolved photoluminescence analyses, and analog computational analysis were employed to propose the mechanism underlying the enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZQ nanocomposites. This was attributed to the effective charge transfer to the surface-decorated Ag, which efficiently suppresses electron–hole recombination in the ZQ, as well as oxygen vacancies (VO) on the ZQ surface provide more reactive sites. Consequently, Ag/ZQ nanocomposites are promising photocatalytic materials for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

引用