Facile synthesis of Al-doping 1D ZnO nanoneedles by co-precipitation method for efficient removal of methylene blue

Abstract

High quality and uniform Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanoflowers were successfully fabricated by co-precipitation method and de-ionized water was used as solvent in the whole fabrication process, which was in agreement with the development of green chemistry. The obtained one dimensional (1D) ZnO nanoneedles and AZO nanoflowers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), Photocurrent tests, which were conducive to know fully about crystal quality, the structure, surface composition and optical property of 1D ZnO nanoneedles and AZO nanoflowers. We not only synthesized 1D ZnO nanoneedles by adjusting the ratios of Zn 2+ and OH −, but also explored the effect of Al-doping and calcination temperature on the morphologies and performance of ZnO. The facile synthesis and environmentally-friendly method introduced by us is easy to control and industrialize. Moreover, there were no organic solvents, complexes and surfactants in the whole fabrication process, so it will exert a significant influence on the use of ZnO in the field of cosmetics and medical polymer materials. We investigated the photocurrent responses of ZnO and Al-doped ZnO and the photocatalytic activities of ZnO by degrading methylene blue (MB) solution. High quality 1D ZnO nanoneedles not only possess excellent photocatalytic activities, but also exhibit high photocatalytic stability and outstanding cycling stability.