背景:氧化锌(ZnO)纳米颗粒用于环境净化的效率受到其对紫外线(UV)光和快速电荷载流子复合的依赖的限制。已经提出碳掺杂通过潜在地增强可见光吸收和电荷分离来解决这些挑战。
目的:本研究旨在介绍一种小说,碳掺杂ZnO(C-Z)纳米粒子的单步合成法,利用硝酸锌六水合物和糠醛在氮气气氛下的分解来提高可见光下的光催化活性。
方法:合成了一系列C-Z变体(C-Z-1至C-Z-5)和未掺杂的样品(ZnO-0)。通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS)分析了糠醛对合成工艺和掺杂机理的影响,X射线衍射(XRD)和紫外可见漫反射光谱(DRS)。
结果:XPS证实了碳在ZnO基质中的整合,和XRD表明,由于掺杂,晶格尺寸增加。DRS显示带隙变窄,表明电荷分离增强。在变体中,C-Z-3的表现明显优于其他,与未掺杂的ZnO相比,罗丹明B的光催化降解速率增加了12倍。
结论:开发的C-Z纳米粒子的单步合成方法代表了用于生态应用的材料工程的重大进步。增强可见光下的光催化活性,如C-Z-3所示,强调了这些纳米颗粒用于环境净化的潜力。
BACKGROUND: The efficiency of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles for environmental decontamination is limited by their reliance on ultraviolet (UV) light and rapid charge carrier recombination. Carbon doping has been proposed to address these challenges by potentially enhancing visible light absorption and charge separation.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to introduce a novel, single-step synthesis method for carbon-doped ZnO (C-Z) nanoparticles, leveraging the decomposition of zinc nitrate hexahydrate and furfural under a nitrogen atmosphere to improve photocatalytic activity under visible light.
METHODS: A series of C-Z variants (C-Z-1 to C-Z-5) and an undoped sample (ZnO-0) were synthesized. The influence of furfural on the synthesis process and doping mechanism was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS).
RESULTS: XPS confirmed the integration of carbon within the ZnO matrix, and XRD indicated increased lattice dimensions owing to doping. DRS revealed bandgap narrowing, suggesting enhanced charge separation. Among the variants, C-Z-3 significantly outperformed the others, showing a 12-fold increase in the photocatalytic degradation rate of Rhodamine B compared to undoped ZnO.
CONCLUSIONS: The developed single-step synthesis method for C-Z nanoparticles represents a major advancement in materials engineering for ecological applications. The enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light, as demonstrated by C-Z-3, underscores the potential of these nanoparticles for environmental decontamination.