Synthesis of an Ag–ZnO nanocomposite catalyst for visible light-assisted degradation of a textile dye in aqueous solution

摘要

The photocatalytic activity of silver-deposited ZnO in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) was investigated. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the silverdeposited ZnO had a visible light plasmon absorption band. The photocatalytic degradation experiment revealed that the catalytic efficiency of the Ag–ZnO composite in the degradation of MO was greater than that of pure ZnO samples. This study shows that the degradation process is dominated by the Ag–ZnO photocatalytic system, complying with a pseudo-first-order rate law. Under the experimental conditions, approximately 65.0% dye removal was achieved within 100 min.