Facile synthesis of ZnO/halloysite nanotube composite with greatly enhanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract

ZnO/halloysite nanotube composites (ZH-X, X = 10, 30, 40, 50, 70), with different mass ratio of ZnO to halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), were fabricated successfully via a facile wet chemical technique in anhydrous ethanol under a mild reaction condition. ZnO nanoparticles about 9 nm in size were inhibited from agglomeration and loaded homogeneously on the surface of HNTs. The microstructure, specific surface area, light absorption ability, photocatalytic performance, etc. of the ZH-X composites varied with the mass ratio of ZnO to HNTs. All ZH-X composites displayed better photocatalytic performance than pure ZnO sample did. With the increasing of ZnO content, the photocatalytic activity of ZH-X composite toward degrading methylene blue (MB) solution strengthened gradually and reached the maximum by ZH-40 composite (with ZnO content of 28.57 wt%), then decreased step by step. ZH-40 (0.05 g) removed 99.88% of MB (100 mL, 15 mg/L) after adsorption in dark and then photocatalytic degradation for 60 min, and whose photocatalytic reaction rate constant was 5.73 times that of pure ZnO. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of ZH-40 composite was attributed to the interfacial effect of ZnO and HNTs as well as the dispersed ZnO nanoparticles, which maintained the adsorption ability of HNTs and improved the separation and migration of photo-generated electron and hole pairs. This work provides a feasible method for loading photocatalyst on clay mineral to realize efficient photocatalysis.