Ternary Wide Band Gap p-Block Metal Semiconductor ZnGa2O4 for Photocatalytic Benzene Degradation

Nanocrystalline ternary wide band gap p-block metal semiconductor ZnGa2O4 was successfully prepared via a coprecipitation method. The as-prepared sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, N-2-sorption BET surface area, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy. ZnGa2O4 showed superior photocatalytic activity and stability for benzene degradation as compared to commercial TiO2. However, its activity was lower than another wide band gap p-block metal semiconductor photocatalyst Sr2Sb2O7. The difference in the photocatalytic activity between ZnGa2O4 and Sr2Sb2O7 can be well explained by their different geometric structures. This result gave some new insight in the development of new ternary wide band gap p-block semiconductor photocatalysts for benzene degradation.