Abstract
In this work, ZnO and ZnO:Ag spherical nanoparticles have been prepared in isopropyl alcohol by the facile precipitation method. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by several techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron
microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV-visible (UV Vis) spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). Further, the synthesized nanoparticles were used as efficient photocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation.
The detailed photocatalytic studies revealed that the ZnO:Ag nanoparticles showed a significant enhancement in photo-catalytic activity compared to pure ZnO nanoparticles. The optimal percentage of Ag loaded to ZnO that showed the excellent efficiency was 7%. The rate constant of ZnO:Ag loaded
with 7% of Ag are 38 times higher than pure ZnO. The important factor that improved the photocatalytic efficiency are high with drawing activity of electrons and the improved absorption in visible region of ZnO:Ag. Improvement of charge transfer of ZnO:Ag is confirmed by the low intensity
of photoluminescence of ZnO:Ag in comparison with pure ZnO.