A novel visible light active N-doped ZnO for photocatalytic degradation of dyes

A new, simple synthesis route based on combustion reaction was introduced for preparing N-doped ZnO (N-ZnO). The structure and properties of N-ZnO were characterized using various techniques, including XPS, XANES, XRD, FTIR, TGA, SEM, TEM, DRS, BET, and zeta potentiometry. Its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of amaranth (AM) and methylene blue (MB) was evaluated under visible and UV light. It was found that N doping significantly extended the spectral response to the visible region and even up to the near-infrared region. N dopants were photostable and highly soluble within the doped matrix. Using 1 g/L of N-ZnO at pH 7, 89.3% of MB with initial concentration of 10 mg/L could be degraded within 1.5 h under visible light of 16.5 W/m(2). Under identical experimental conditions, it took 4 h for N-ZnO to degrade 88.5% of AM. Moreover, the photocatalytically treated dyes are nontoxic against Bacillus cereus, an important soil microorganism. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.