A novel and simple approach to enhance ultraviolet photosensitivity: activated-carbon-assistedgrowth of ZnO nanoparticles

Abstract

An activated-carbon (AC) assisted route is developed to synthesize a ZnO nanoparticlenetwork. The route involves simple addition of AC to the solution containing the zinc saltand finally removing them by burning at higher temperature to form a sponge-likeporous ZnO nanoparticles. The surface area measurements show that AC-assistedZnO nanoparticles (AC-ZnO) have a higher surface area than those synthesizedwithout AC (B-ZnO), which is further confirmed by the field emission scanningelectron microscope (FESEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope(HRTEM) images. Ultraviolet (UV) absorbance results show that the opticalquality remains almost unchanged for both types of nanoparticles. Enhanced andfaster UV photosensitivity has been observed for the AC-ZnO. The change inthe UV photosensing properties demonstrated here provides a new approach tosynthesizing other high surface area materials for novel physical and chemical properties.