Abstract
Recently, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) has been widely studied and used as a catalyst in various fields, due to its high specific surface area, tunable channels and thermal and chemical stability. In this paper, ZIF-8 was used as a precursor to fabricate a Ag/ZnO photocatalyst, and the influence of Ag on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO has been explored. All samples were characterised using XRD, SEM, TEM, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The photocatalytic activity of all samples was evaluated by the degradation of a rhodamine B solution under UV light. The results show that ZIF-8 was completely transformed into ZnO when it was calcined at 550 °C for 6 h, and Ag was well loaded onto ZnO. The photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO is 92.32%. When ZnO was doped with Ag, its photocatalytic efficiency was highly improved (99.64%). Furthermore, Ag/ZnO exhibited high photocatalytic stability. After five repeated cycles, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO was highly retained at 97.48%.
Highlights
To date, photocatalytic degradation has been one effective way of treating various water pollutants, and semiconductor photocatalysts have been widely investigated
A er careful studying, Ag doped ZnO (Ag/ZnO) shows higher photocatalytic activity than the pure ZnO derived from zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)
We expect that Ag/ZnO can be used as a photocatalyst for the degradation of some organic dyes coming from contaminants
Summary
Photocatalytic degradation has been one effective way of treating various water pollutants, and semiconductor photocatalysts have been widely investigated. Over several decades of studies, many semiconductor photocatalysts have been found, such as TiO2,1,2 SnO2,3 ZrO2,4 and ZnO.[5] They possess a high degradation capacity toward toxic and recalcitrant chemical species through relatively simple and low-cost procedures. Among these semiconductor photocatalysts, ZnO, with a band gap of 3.2 eV, has been widely investigated, due to its powerful oxidation capability, non-toxicity and chemical stability.[6] It can degrade organic dyes into non-toxic substances. A er careful studying, Ag/ZnO shows higher photocatalytic activity than the pure ZnO derived from ZIF-8. We expect that Ag/ZnO can be used as a photocatalyst for the degradation of some organic dyes coming from contaminants
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