Abstract
Enhanced visible-light absorption of 4at% fluorine (F) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (F:ZnO) produced via a hydrothermal method with 15M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is explored with various characterization techniques: XRD, TEM, UV–vis spectra, Pl spectra, XPS, and surface area analysis. Moreover, photocatalytic performance of as-prepared samples is studied via degradation of malachite green dye under visible light irradiation. Finally, the photocatalyst’s optimal amount to use is determined as well as its recyclability. Results show that band gaps of ZnO nanostructures depend on NaOH concentration, doping 15M NaOH resultant ZnO nanowires with 4at% F further narrows the band gap, F:ZnO nanowires perform 1.6 times better than the pure ZnO nanowires in malachite green dye (MG) degradation tests, overloading the solution with the photocatalyst actually hinders degradation performance, and the F:ZnO photocatalyst remains a robust performer even after five cycles.