Facile Preparation of Ag2ZnGeO4 Flower-like Hierarchical Nanostructure and Its Photocatalytic Activity

In this study,AgZnGeOflower-like hierarchical nanostructure was prepared using a simple and mild method.The as-prepared samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and Nadsorption and desorption isotherms.Meanwhile,the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was explored using Rhodamine B as a model pollutant.The results indicated that the AgZnGeOhierarchical nanostructures obtained consisted of nanoplates and nanorods,and adopted spherical flower-like morphology.Moreover,the as-prepared AgZnGeOhierarchical nanostructure was an efficient and stable visible-light photocatalyst for the degradation of organic dyes in water.After visible light irradiation for 105 min,the degradation of Rhodamine B was up to 92%.Moreover,the photocatalytic activity of AgZnGeOremained unchanged after three successive cycles.