Synthesis of Ag2CO3/ZnO nanocomposite with visible light-driven photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Ag2CO3/ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized via a chemical precipitation from pure ZnO nanowires, AgNO3, and NaHCO3. X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy results confirmed the forming of Ag2CO3/ZnO nanocomposite. High resolution transmission electron microscopy results of the as-synthesized Ag2CO3/ZnO nanocomposite revealed that Ag2CO3 nanoparticles were attached to the surface of ZnO nanowires. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra of both pure ZnO and Ag2CO3/ZnO nanocomposite displayed a band gap edge at about 360−390nm. However, compared with pure ZnO, an additional broad tail from approximately 400nm–800nm appeared in the UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrum of Ag2CO3/ZnO nanocomposite. The photocatalytic studies indicated that the as-synthesized Ag2CO3/ZnO nanocomposite was a kind of promising photocatalyst in remediation of water polluted by some chemically stable azo dyes under visible light.