Facile synthesis of ZnAgO nanoflakes and their improved photocatalytic activities under sun light

Silver (Ag) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflakes were processed through a facile wet-chemical route. Their phase purity and wurtzite crystalline characteristics were studied using the results of X-ray diffraction measurements. The flake-like morphological nature of the processed materials was examined through scanning electron microscopy. The optical absorbance of undoped ZnO was noted to improve significantly along the visible region on Ag doping. The absence of surface plasmon resonance in Zn1-xAgxO nanostructures characterized the effective substitution of Ag dopant ions in the host matrix. The photocatalytic activity of undoped ZnO and Zn1-xAgxO was evaluated via performing degradation reactions using methylene blue (MB) under visible light. The degradation kinetics was also noted to improve significantly in the doped materials while compared with that of the undoped ZnO.