Tailored routes for home-made Bi-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Photocatalytic performances towards o-toluidine, a toxic water pollutant

Green Derived Zinc Oxide (ZnO) for the Degradation of Dyes from Wastewater and Their Antimicrobial Activity: A Review

The quest for eco-friendly synthetic routes that can be used for the development of multifunctional materials, in particular for water treatment, has reinforced the use of plant extracts as replacement solvents in their use as reducing and capping agents during the synthesis of green derived materials. Amongst the various nanoparticles, Zinc Oxide (ZnO) has emerged as one of the preferred candidates for photocatalysis due to its optical properties. Moreover, ZnO has also been reported to possess antimicrobial properties against various bacterial strains such as E. coli and S. aureus. In this review, various types of pollutants including organic dyes and natural pollutants are discussed. The treatment methods that are used to purify wastewater with their limitations are highlighted. The distinguishing properties of ZnO are clearly outlined and defined, not to mention the performance of ZnO as a green derived photocatalyst and an antimicrobial agent, as well. Lastly, an overview is given of the challenges and possible further perspectives.

First-Principles Calculation of Photoelectric Property in Upconversion Materials through In3+ Doping

Multicolor turning holds great promise in optical intelligent recognition and optical imaging. Here, Er³⁺, Yb³⁺, and In codoped ZnO (Er/Yb/IZO) with a uniform block strucuture is obtained. The doping of In³⁺ ions enhances the multicolor upconversion luminescence (UCL) intensity of Er/Yb/IZO. Particularlly, the UCL of Er/Yb/I₂ZO turns from red through yellow to dominant green emission via increasing density power from 2.54 to 10.19 W/cm², thus realizing the power sensitiviy. First-principles theory is used to design a In³⁺, Yb³⁺, and Er³⁺ codoped ZnO. The band structure, total density of state and optical coefficient of Er/Yb/IZO have been studied via a generalized gradient approximation within density functional theory (DFT). The potential electron density and total electron density of the O atom increase with In³⁺ and Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ doping, which indicate that substitution of Zn²⁺ by In³⁺ and Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ generate positive vacancies on the surface. The band gap of Er/Yb/IZO decreases compare with that of pure ZnO. Furthermore, the optical coefficient of In³⁺ doping is enhanced compare with that of pure ZnO via using DFT calculations.

Improvement of Bi doping in ZnO nanocrystals by co-doping with Al: crystal geometry calculations and photocatalytic activity

In this work we demonstrate enhancement in visible-light photocatalytic activity (PCA) of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) with minimal attenuation of visible light transmittance. This approach can benefit numerous optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications. ZnO NPs were p-n co-doped with Al and Bi to improve Bi doping into the ZnO crystal. Al- and/or Bi-doped ZnO was coprecipitated by ammonia from aqueous nitrate solutions of Zn²⁺, Al³⁺, and Bi³⁺, followed by microwave heating. Doping concentrations in Al- and Bi- doped ZnO (AZO and BZO) and Al/Bi co-doped ZnO (ABZO) were 1, 3, 5, and 7 mole %. The resulting NPs were characterized by XRD, TEM, EDS, BET, and UV-visible absorption. While EDS shows that almost all added Bi was incorporated into the ZnO, XRD analysis of BZO reveals formation of α-Bi₂O₃ as a secondary phase due to the poor Bi solubility in ZnO. Co-doping of Al with Bi suppressed α-Bi₂O₃ formation and increased Bi solubility in ZnO. XRD-based calculations of the lattice constants and deformation strain, stress, and energy all show insertion of Al and/or Bi into the crystal with different extents according to the dopants' solubilities into ZnO. AZO and BZO NPs had E _g lowered by 0.05-1.39 eV and 0.30-0.70 eV, respectively, relative to ZnO. On the other hand, ABZO had E _g reductions of only 0.01-0.20 eV due to formation of acceptor-donor complex through co-doping. ABZO gave higher PCA enhancements with respect to E _g reductions (Δk _photo/-ΔE _g) than either AZO and BZO, with values up to 370, 126, and 13 min^-1 eV^-1, respectively.

Room-temperature photodetectors and VOC sensors based on graphene oxide-ZnO nano-heterojunctions

The rapid development of smart wearable electronics is driving the engineering of novel miniaturized sensing materials that can rapidly respond to very small changes in the concentration of biomarkers at room temperature. Carbon-based nanomaterials offer numerous attractive properties such as low resistivity, good mechanical robustness and integration potential, but lack a strong detection and transduction mechanism for the measurement of chemical molecules or photons. Here, we present a three-dimensional nanostructured architecture comprising optimally integrated graphene oxide (GO)-ZnO heterojunctions for the room temperature sensing of volatile biomarkers. We show that this layout also provides excellent response to UV light showcasing its applicability as a visible-blind photodetector. Notably, the optimal integration of well-dispersed GO nanodomains in a 3D ZnO network significantly enhances the room-temperature chemical sensitivity and light responsivity, while higher GO contents drastically worsen the material performance. This is attributed to the different roles of GO at low and high contents. Small amounts of GO lead to the formation of electron depleted nano-heterojunctions with excellent electron-hole separation efficiency. In contrast, large amounts of GO form a percolating electrical network that inhibits the light and chemical-sensing properties of the ZnO nanoparticles. Our optimal GO-ZnO demonstrates 33 A W^-1 responsivity to UV light as well as the room temperature detection of volatile organic compounds down to 100 ppb. We believe that these findings provide guidelines for the future engineering of hybrid carbon-metal oxide devices for applications extending from optoelectronics to chemical sensing and electrocatalysis.

Highly Crystalline Zinc Oxide/Mesoporous Hollow Silica Composites Synthesized at Low Temperature for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulfonate

Highly crystalline ZnO/mesoporous hollow silica sphere (MHSS) composites have been successfully synthesized through an impregnation method at 323K without applying calcination. Three composites of different Zn/Si molar ratios of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1 were prepared. X-Ray diffraction patterns confirmed the presence of highly crystalline ZnO in the materials. A layer of ZnO was formed on the MHSS as evidenced by field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis. Transmission electron microscopy analysis verified the mesoporous structure in ZnO/MHSS composites. N2 adsorption–desorption analysis indicated a type IV isotherm for 1ZnO/2MHSS and 1ZnO/1MHSS samples, confirming the presence of mesopores in the ZnO layer. It has been demonstrated that all the ZnO/MHSS composites exhibit a high photocatalytic activity towards sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate degradation compared with bare ZnO under UV irradiation. A kinetic study showed that the photodegradation followed a second order model. Among the prepared composites, 1ZnO/1MHSS recorded the highest reaction rate of 6.03×10−3mM−1min−1 which is attributed to a high crystallinity and the monodispersity of a high amount of ZnO on MHSS.

Engineering Charge Transfer Characteristics in Hierarchical Cu₂S QDs @ ZnO Nanoneedles with p⁻n Heterojunctions: Towards Highly Efficient and Recyclable Photocatalysts

Equipped with staggered gap p-n heterojunctions, a new paradigm of photocatalysts based on hierarchically structured nano-match-shaped heterojunctions (NMSHs) Cu₂S quantum dots (QDs)@ZnO nanoneedles (NNs) are successfully developed via engineering the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). Under UV and visible light illumination, the photocatalytic characteristics of Cu₂S@ZnO heterojunctions with different loading amounts of Cu₂S QDs are evaluated by the corresponding photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution. The results elaborate that the optimized samples (S3 serial specimens with six cycles of SILAR reaction) by means of tailored the band diagram exhibit appreciable improvement of photocatalytic activities among all synthesized samples, attributing to the sensitization of a proper amount of Cu₂S QDs. Such developed architecture not only could form p⁻n junctions with ZnO nanoneedles to facilitate the separation of photo-generated carries but also interact with the surface defects of ZnO NNs to reduce the electron and hole recombination probability. Moreover, the existence of Cu₂S QDs could also extend the light absorption to improve the utilization rate of sunlight. Importantly, under UV light S3 samples demonstrate the remarkably enhanced RhB degradation efficiency, which is clearly testified upon the charge transfer mechanism discussions and evaluations in the present work. Further supplementary investigations illustrate that the developed nanoscale Cu₂S@ZnO heterostructures also possess an excellent photo-stability during our extensive recycling photocatalytic experiments, promising for a wide range of highly efficient and sustainably recyclable photocatalysts applications.

Laser-Ablated ZnO Nanoparticles and Their Photocatalytic Activity toward Organic Pollutants

This work aimed to prepare nanostructures of ZnO with various lasers, testing them as photocatalysts, and comparing their morphology and activity in the degradation of organic pollutants in aqueous media. ZnO nanospheres (ns-ZnO) and ZnO nanorods (ms-ZnO) were prepared via the laser ablation of a Zn metal plate in water using nanosecond- and millisecond-pulsed lasers, respectively. The obtained materials were characterized using a set of optical, structural, and surface-science techniques, such as UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under visible-light irradiation, both nanostructures were found to be catalytically active toward the oxidation of methylene blue, which was used as a model compound. The ZnO nanorods fabricated with the millisecond laser showed better photocatalytic performance than their spherically shaped counterparts obtained by means of the nanosecond laser, which could be assigned to a larger number of defects on the ms-ZnO surface.

Synthesis, crystallography, microstructure, crystal defects, and morphology of BixZn1−xO nanoparticles prepared by sol–gel technique

This study was allocated to synthesis Bi_xZn_1−xO (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.06) nanoparticles. In addition, to study the microstructural properties, crystal imperfections and the morphology for these samples.

Zn- vs Bi-based oxides for o-toluidine photocatalytic treatment under solar light

The photodegradation of the highly toxic o-toluidine pollutant was deeply investigated both under UV and solar irradiations by using three different semiconductors: pure ZnO, Bi-impregnated ZnO, and Bi₂O₃ nanopowders (synthesized by precipitating method). All the samples were deeply characterized on structural, morphological, surface, and optical points of view. The disappearance and the relative mineralization of o-toluidine molecules were followed by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and total organic carbon (TOC) determinations, respectively. Hence, correlations between their physico-chemical properties and the photocatalytic performances, passing from UV to solar light, were drawn and a hypothesis on the photodegradation mechanism has been proposed, on the basis of the HPLC/MS results. Bare Bi₂O₃ samples, due to the exploitation of both their visible light absorption and the negligible intermediates formation, resulted to be higher performing under solar irradiation than either pure or Bi-doped ZnO nanopowders. Graphical abstract.