Evaluation of Au nanosphere content on ZnO nanoparticle surfaces as reusable and durable plasmonic nanocatalysts

摘要: BACKGROUND Au/ZnO systems have been investigated in recent years as alternatives to improve the photocatalytic performance obtained by pure ZnO and other nanocatalysts based on ZnO nanostructures. ZnO nanoparticles and Au/ZnO nanocatalysts were successfully synthesized by facile and low‐cost methods, such hydrothermal synthesis and chemical reduction method, respectively. The plasmonic nanocatalysts were fabricated at different Au precursor (HAuCl4) concentrations (0.5–5 mM) to obtain different Au contents (0.31–13.9 at.%) on the ZnO surface. The influence of Au content on the ZnO surface and its photocatalytic activity was studied. RESULTS The photocatalytic activities of pure ZnO and Au/ZnO nanocatalysts were evaluated in the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under UV light. The Au/ZnO nanocatalyst with the lowest Au content (0.31 at.%) showed the best …