Preparation of 3DOM Periodic Composite Ag/ZnO-TiO2 and Microwave-assisted Photocatalytic Performance

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) composite Ag/ZnO-TiO2 was prepared by the sot-gel method combined with a polystyrene(PS) latex sphere templating technique and calcination. The phase structures, chemical composition, optical absorption properties and surface physicochemical properties were characterized via Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectrum, X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N-2 adsorption-desorption tests and scanning electron microscopy assisted X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results showed that the produced composite Ag/ZnO-TiO2, had anatase crystalline structure, well distribution, good structure and the silver species in the Ag/ZnO-TiO2 was metallic Ag. Moreover, the walls structure of the 3DOM Ag/ZnO-TiO2 was mesoporous with compact walls, and the average pore diameters were ca. 150 nm. The photocatalytic activities of Ag/ZnO-TiO2 were tested by microwave assisted photocatalytic degradation of the dyes, for example, methyl orange. Results showed that this composite material had fine photocatalytic activities for Many dyes, and the activity was higher than that of P-25 and binary system ZnO-TiO2.