Facile synthesis of pompon-like ZnO-Ag nanocomposites and their enhanced photocatalytic performance

A series of pompon-like ZnO-Ag nanocomposites were prepared by hydrothermal method and photochemical deposition technique. Several characterizations indicated the successful deposition of Ag nanoparticles on ZnO. As a whole, the as-prepared composites present pompon-like nanostructures with a diameter of ∼10 μm. In detail, the nanostructural, chemical and optical properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultra-visible spectra (UV). The photocatalytic degradation experiments under UV irradiation using Methyl Orange (MO) as a model dye were executed here. The relative results demonstrated that the pompon-like ZnO-Ag nanocomposite with a suitable content of Ag nanoparticles (about 4.82 wt%) has the highest photochemical activity, and the removal ratio of MO was 99.1% after 0.5 h adsorption and subsequent 2 h photodegradation processes. The excellent photocatalytic performance was attributed to the high surface areas of ZnO nanostructure and effectively separation of photo-generated charge on flower-like ZnO by employing Ag nanoparticles as a conductor.