Effects of Ag Nanoparticles on Zinc Oxide Photocatalytic Performance

• Published in: Coatings (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 4; p. 400
• Main Authors: Khiari, Mouna, Gilliot, Mickaël, Lejeune, Michaël, Lazar, Florica, Hadjadj, Aomar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Catalysis; Chemical Sciences; Dyes; Glass substrates; Indigo; Material chemistry; Morphology; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Optical properties; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Photodegradation; Photovoltaic cells; Scanning electron microscopy; Semiconductors; Silver; Sol-gel processes; Solar radiation; Spin coating; Thin films; Wastewater treatment; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides; United States > US; Japan; nanocomposite; ZnO; Ag nanoparticles; photocatalysis; sol-gel
• ISSN: 2079-6412; 2079-6412
• DOI: 10.3390/coatings11040400

We used a sol–gel spin coating technique to synthesize nanocomposite thin films based on zinc oxide (ZnO) loaded with silver nanoparticles (NPs). We tested these ZnO/Ag NPs photocatalysts, with a thickness of about 100 nm, for the photodegradation of the indigo carmine dye solution. The study focused on the effects of Ag NPs on the ZnO matrix as well as the impact of their concentration on the photocatalytic performance of the nanocomposite. The study also highlighted the high stability of the photocatalytic performance of these nanocomposites. This work is a contribution in the search for non-toxic thin film photocatalysts that is usable under solar radiation for the treatment of contaminated wastewater. Innovation in the field of heterogeneous photocatalysis requires the use of solar resource with efficient results in terms of photocatalytic performance.