Low-Temperature Synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles with Controlled Crystal Growth for Efficient Ultraviolet Photocatalyst

Abstract

In this paper, we report that an effective and simple chemical method under the low temperature (60 °C) could synthesize zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and effectively control the crystal growth based on the hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction, X-ray electron spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and ultra violet visible spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure and performance of the samples. It is shown that the ZnO nanoparticles synthesized under the optimal reaction conditions are strong ultraviolet absorption, high-uniformed sphere and high specific surface. In the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) tests, ZnO nanoparticles thrived well during the reaction and degraded the material in 50 minutes. Since ZnO nanoparticles towards RhB degradation shows a good stability, it might provide an effective way to tackle environmental pollution.