Surface Modification of ZnO Nanorods using Stearic Acid and their Self-cleaning and Photocatalytic Applications

In the current study, a cost-effective simple strategy has been developed for the surface modification of ZnO nanorods (NRs). The ZnO NRs were surface modified using stearic acid. The ZnO NRs and stearic modified ZnO NRs were characterized using various analytical techniques. FT-IR, TGA, and CHO analyses prove successful surface modification of ZnO NRs with stearic acid. FE-SEM and TEM analyses show no change in morphology of ZnO NRs before and after the surface modification. The stearic acid modified ZnO NRs show water contact angle greater than 90 degrees which suggests their hydrophobic nature. XPS analysis shows presence of Zn2+ and O2- in pure ZnO and the stearic acid modified ZnO NRs. The stearic acid modified ZnO NRs were explored for self-cleaning and they were also tested as catalyst for photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet in an aqueous solution. Kinetics and recyclability studies were also carried out for the photodegradation of crystal violet using the stearic acid modified ZnO NRs. A simple method is used to modify the surface of ZnO nanorods with stearic acid (SA) at room temperature in about 5 minutes.The SA modified ZnO nanorods are hydrophobic and they exhibit good self-cleaning property and act as photocatalyst towards degradation of crystal violet in an aqueous solution.image