In situ synthesis of tower-like Ag-Sm(OH)3-ZnO photocatalyst with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

Publication date: December 2019Source: Materials Science and Engineering: B, Volume 251Author(s): Lixiong Yin, Changqing Liu, Jia Wang, Feifei Wang, Simin Chai, Dongdong Zhang, Xingang Kong, Huimin Li, Jianfeng HuangAbstract3D tower-like Ag-Sm(OH)3-ZnO morphologies were successfully synthesized via a facile in situ method by utilizing Sm(OH)3-ZnO as the precursor. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images reveal that the 3D tower-like Sm(OH)3-ZnO samples were grown to a 3D tower-shape. Additionally, silver nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the surface of Sm(OH)3-ZnO. The photo catalytic performances of the as-prepared Ag-Sm(OH)3-ZnO samples were evaluated towards the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) upon visible-light irradiation. Compared with 70% degradation efficiency of RhB solution over Sm(OH)3-ZnO under visible-light irradiation for 120 min, the 3D tower-like Ag-Sm(OH)3-ZnO hybrid could reach 98% under the same conditions. This superior performance could be attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and Heterojunction effect induced through the addition of Ag.Graphical abstract
Source: Materials Science and Engineering: B - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research