Synthesis of ZnO/Ag-doped C/N heterostructure for photocatalytic application

A zinc oxide-silver doped with graphite and nitrogen (ZnO/Ag doped with C/N) heterostructure was prepared by a simple method with a study of the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. Results from X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments show the presence of sharp peaks for ZnO, Ag, and C, with the wurtzite phase of ZnO. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results match the results of XRD and confirm the presence of Ag, Zn, C, O, and N. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images confirm the presence of clusters of spherical nanoparticles (NPs). The optical properties results confirm the high-absorption ability in the visible area with an energy gap of 2.95eV. After 140min of exposure to sunlight radiation, the photocatalysis results show that the MB dye can be broken down very well by light.

Automated summary

A zinc oxide-silver doped with graphite and nitrogen (ZnO/Ag doped with C/N) heterostructure was prepared and used for the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. The characterization results showed the presence of ZnO, Ag, and C nanoparticles, and confirmed the high-absorption ability in the visible area. The photocatalysis results demonstrated the efficient degradation of MB dye by the prepared ZnO/Ag doped with C/N heterostructure under sunlight irradiation.