ZnO supported on zeolites: Photocatalyst design, microporosity and properties

ZnO was supported in three different zeolites aiming at new photocatalysts. In the zeolite NaA, the crystallization of ZnO was on the external surface while for zeolites NaY and USY it occurred predominantly inside the micropores, as indicated by XRD diffractograms and by transmission electron microscopy. The bandgap and the zero point of charge indicated that the increase in ZnO content approaches these parameters to values of pure oxide. In the catalysts supported on USY, significant changes were not observed in the bandgap values due to the incorporation of ZnO in their micropores. Therefore, each synthesized catalyst has potential applications in heterogeneous photocatalysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.