Template-free Polyoxometalate-assisted Synthesis of Au/ZnO Hollow Sphere Hererostructures for Photocatalytic Water Purification

The controlled synthesis of ZnO hollow spheres is successfully achieved through a facile solvothermal method using a Keggin-type silicotungstic acid (H4Si(W3O10)(4):HSW) as structure directing agent. The formation process of these hollow spheres is proposed based on a variety of controlled experiments. In addition, Au nanoparticles are loaded onto the surface of ZnO hollow spheres. It is found that the Au-loaded ZnO (Au/ZnO) composites exhibit greatly enhanced activity on oxidizing Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated UV or visible light irradiation, compared to the pristine ZnO hollow spheres. The improved performance of Au/ZnO heterostructures is mainly attributed to the enhanced optical absorption and the accelerated separation and migration of photogenerated charge carriers. Moreover, the photocatalytic reaction mechanisms are proposed based on the results of electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis, photoelectrochemical measurements, and photocatalytic evaluation. The results and findings are expected to provide significance to the synthesis of noble metal-semiconductor hybrids towards water purification.