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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The influence of Al doping on the photocatalytic activity of nanostructured ZnO: The role of adsorbed water

Ammar HouasAmmar HouasBartolomeo MegnaHinda LachhebLeonardo PalmisanoAbdessalem HamrouniFrancesco ParrinoF. Ajala

subject

Materials scienceDiffuse reflectance infrared fourier transformBand gapAdsorbed water; Al-doped ZnO; Defects; Nanoparticles; Photocatalysis; Sol-gel; ZnO; Surfaces; Coatings and FilmsSettore AGR/13 - Chimica AgrariaGeneral Physics and Astronomy02 engineering and technology010402 general chemistry01 natural sciencesCoatings and Filmssymbols.namesakeNanoparticlePhotocatalysiAl-doped ZnOAdsorptionSpecific surface areaPhotocatalysisFourier transform infrared spectroscopySol-gelAdsorbed waterDopingSurfaces and InterfacesGeneral Chemistry021001 nanoscience & nanotechnologyCondensed Matter Physics0104 chemical sciencesSurfaces Coatings and FilmsSurfacesAdsorbed water; Al-doped ZnO; Defects; Nanoparticles; Photocatalysis; Sol-gel; ZnO; Surfaces Coatings and FilmsSettore ING-IND/22 - Scienza E Tecnologia Dei MaterialiChemical engineeringZnOPhotocatalysissymbolsNanoparticlesDefectsDefect0210 nano-technologyRaman spectroscopy

description

Abstract Al doped ZnO nanoparticles (labeled as x% A-ZnO, x = 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5) were synthesized by a simple sol-gel method, characterized and tested as photocatalysts for the degradation of a model compound under UV-light irradiation. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoelectrochemical analysis have been performed to evidence their optical and electronic behavior. The structural features of the powders were highlighted by means of specific surface area (SSA) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Al doping results in enhanced photocatalytic activity of the modified powders with respect to pure ZnO. In particular, the highest activity was achieved with the 1.0% A-ZnO sample. The presence of Al did not significantly change neither the optical absorption nor the electronic structure of the powders. In fact, the observed blue shift of the band gap and cathodic shift of the quasi Fermi level of the modified powders occurred only at a virtually negligible extent. On the other hand, the structural analysis evidenced that the enhanced photocatalytic activity may be ascribed to the important surface defectivity induced mainly by substitution of Zn2+ by Al3+ ions and to the deriving higher hydrophilicity of the Al doped samples.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2018-07-01Applied Surface Science
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.03.141