Synthesis of Carnation-Like ZnO for Photocatalytic Degradation of Antibiotics, Including Tetracycline Hydrochloride

Abstract

ZnO has been known to be an excellent photocatalyst and production of suitable morphology by cheap methods to increase catalytic efficiency is important in practical applications. In this study, a fast precipitation method was used to produce the carnation-like morphology to improve the performance of ZnO in the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). The precursor of zinc nitrate, precipitation agents of sodium hydroxide, and trisodium were used to control the morphology of ZnO. The characterization of as-prepared material was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible, and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. As a result, the ZnO appeared with a regular and uniform three-dimensional carnation-like morphology and consisted of numerous nanosheets with a thickness of 0.013 μm. The average size of the ZnO flowers was 5 μm. In addition, the plausible formation mechanism of nanoflower with time was proposed. The effects of reaction conditions on the catalytic performance of ZnO were thoroughly examined, and its performance was compared with those of other ZnO forms and other materials. As-prepared ZnO showed to efficiently decompose TCH with the decompose efficiency and rate constant of 89.92% and 0.038 min−1, respectively. Moreover, the •O2− and h+ were key active species in the decomposition of the TCH process.