Preparation of Polyaniline–ZnO Photocatalyst and its Photocatalytic Property

Abstract

ZnO nanoparticles were modified by polyaniline (PANI) using ‘in situ’ chemical oxidative polymerization method. The morphology, structure, and light absorption properties of PANI-ZnO composites were examined by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis spectra. UV–vis spectra reveal that PANI-ZnO composites showed stronger absorption than neat ZnO under the whole range of visible light. New characteristic peaks were found in PANI-ZnO composites according to the X-ray diffraction patterns after hybridization of PANI and ZnO, which indicating that there was a strong interaction between PANI and ZnO nanoparticles. The resulting PANI-ZnO composites exhibit significantly higher photocatalytic activity than that of neat ZnO for degradation of anthraquinone dye (reactive brilliant blue KN-R) aqueous solution under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm).