Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO Nanoparticles: Synthesis via Solution Combustion Method

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO Nps) were prepared using zinc nitrates and succinic acid as a fuel through low temperature solution combustion method (LCS) at 500 degrees C. The obtained materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis and SEM. The XRD result shows that synthesized ZnO was hexagonal wurtzite stracture. FTIR indicates a significant band at similar to 380 cm(-1) is assigned to the characteristic stretching mode of Zn-O. UV-Vis spectroscopy of ZnO Nps shows the band gap of 3.29 eV. SEM images show that the product is agglomerated and almost spherical in shape. The Photocatalytic activity of the synthesized ZnO Nps was examined for the degradation of methylene blue dye under both UV and Sunlight and the results shows it is a good photocatalytic materials. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.