Synthesis of Flower-like Ag-ZnO Nanostructure and its Application in the Photodegradation of Methyl Orange

Nanostructured Ag-ZnO materials were successfully synthesized by first producing a ZnO with flower-like morphology using a simple precipitation method, and then Ag nanoparticles were prepared directly on the surface by a facile photoreduction method. The materials were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). They were shown to be composed of metallic Ag particles dispersed on the surface of flower-like ZnO structures. Photocatalytic effect of Ag-ZnO on the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV irradiation was investigated in aqueous suspension. The effect of pH, Ag content, photodeposition time, concentration of the organic dye and presence of Mg2+, Ca2+, NO3-, Cl- and SO42- on the photocatalytic degradation and decolorization reaction of MO was studied. The photocatalytic method was applied for the degradation of MO in several synthetic wastewater samples with satisfactory results.