Enhancing stability and photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles by surface modification of graphene oxide

Abstract

This work reports a simple method for the preparation of high-quality GO-ZnO nanocomposite materials. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the ZnO nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on the GO sheets and the diameter of the ZnO nanoparticles falls in 5-8 nm. Further experimental results imply that involving GO sheets into the system could remarkably prevent the aggregation of ZnO nanoparticles compared to pure ZnO. The photocatalytic activity and stability of the prepared GO-ZnO composite for the degradation of Acid Orange 7 (AO 7) under UV light irradiation is significantly enhanced in comparison to the as-synthesized pristine ZnO nanoparticles. Considering the high photocatalytic acitivity and relative stability, this high-quality GO-ZnO nanocomposite is beneficial for the applications in environmental engineering and other fields. Copyright © 2012 American Scientific Publishers. All rights reserved.