Microwave-assisted one-pot synthesis of Ag decorated flower-like ZnO composites photocatalysts for dye degradation and NO removal

A series of Ag nanoparticles decorated flower-like ZnO (Ag/ZnO) composites with varying Ag loadings were fabricated via a microwave-assisted one-pot method. The flower-like Ag/ZnO structure with a diameter of about 800 nm was assembled by Ag distribution on ZnO nanosheets. The decoration of Ag on ZnO can obviously improve the degradation rate of dye and NO under simulated solar-light. The optimal loading amount of Ag was 8 mol%, where it exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity with complete degradation of RhB and 4-NP in 20 and 60 min, respectively. And for NO, the oxidation ratio is 55% within 15 min irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the special architecture and the introduction of Ag nanoparticles, which largely improved the light-absorbing capability and electron separation efficiency in Ag/ZnO composites.