Synergetic effect of carbon black as co-catalyst for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity and stability on ZnO nanoparticles

Carbon black/ZnO nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized via a simple aqueous chemical growth method. The preparation of the carbon black/ZnO nanocomposites by adding an appropriate weight of carbon black to the ZnO growth process can be favorable to improve photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue under irradiation of ultraviolet light. Compare with commercial TiO2 and ZnO nanopowders, carbon black/ZnO nanocomposites can enhance the specific surface area, the light-harvesting ability, and the charge carrier separation for achieving highly efficient photocatalysts under irradiation of both ultraviolet and visible light. The carbon black/ZnO nanocomposites exhibited a low cost and sample approach, high reusability, and high visiblelight-induced photocatalytic activity.