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Fabrication and photocatalytic activity of mushroom-like ZnO microcrystals via a solvothermal route

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Abstract

ZnO mushrooms composed of tower-like petals were prepared by a simple solvothermal method with ethanol as solvent. The key strategy is that an organic acid to be active agent was employed, and the whole experiments were carried out in a sour environment. The main crystalline phase of the as-prepared products measured by X-ray diffraction was proven to be wurtzite-type ZnO. Raman spectroscopy was employed to characterize the crystalline structure and perfection. Scanning Electron Microscope results reveal that the ZnO mushrooms had an average size of 12 μm and the top pileus is made up of hexagonal towers packed with hexagonal slices. Possible growth process was proposed to be charges adsorption among the polar ZnO slices. In addition, the results of the degradation of organic dye indicate that the prepared ZnO mushrooms show good photocatalytic activity and it can be considered as a promising photocatalyst for dyes wastewater treatment.

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Correspondence to Baibiao Huang.

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Liu, H., Huang, B., Qin, X. et al. Fabrication and photocatalytic activity of mushroom-like ZnO microcrystals via a solvothermal route. Rare Metals 30 (Suppl 1), 173–176 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-011-0263-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-011-0263-z

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