One-step hydrothermal preparation and characterization of ZnO–TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocomposites for photocatalytic activity
Yan Sun, Yue Gao, Binshan Zhao, Sheng Xu, Chunhui Luo, Qiang Zhao
Abstract
Abstract ZnO–TiO 2 nanowire composites with different Zn/Ti molar ratios were prepared by one-step hydrothermal process. The crystal structure, surface morphology and chemical state of the samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS. The effect of ZnO content on the photocatalytic performance was investigated by degradation of Rhodamine B dye under xenon lamp illumination. The XRD result indicated that Zn/Ti molar ratio significantly affected the crystallinity and phase composition of ZnO–TiO 2 composites. SEM images showed that ZnO nanoparticles of smaller size were dispersed on the surface of TiO 2 nanowires and aggregated in the TiO 2 framework. The optimal Zn/Ti molar ratio of 5% was obtained with highest photocatalytic activity, which could be attributed to the superior charge separation ability.