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Mosaic structure ZnO formed by secondary crystallization with enhanced photocatalytic performance

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Abstract

Zinc acetate is used as a raw material to synthesize the desired ZnO in hot solvent by controlling the amount of citric acid (CA) added. Notably, the amount of CA added has a significant relationship with the control of the morphology of ZnO. Spherical ZnO wrapped in nanosheets is synthesized through the secondary crystallization of Zn2+. The optical properties of the ZnO sample are tested through the degradation of organic pollutants. Notably, the photocatalytic properties of ZnO vary with the different amounts of CA added. Exposure of the active crystal face increases the photocatalytic activity of ZnO. In addition, the number of defects on the surface of the ZnO sample increases because of its large specific surface area, thus changing the bandgap of ZnO. Therefore, the resulting sample can respond under visible light.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51602164), the Key Research Project of Shandong Province, China (No. 2017GGX40121), the Young Doctor Cooperative Fund Project (No. 2019BSHZ005), and the Scientific Research Innovation Team in Colleges and Universities of Shandong Province, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, China

    Hai-xia Liu, Meng-yuan Teng, Xu-guang Wei, Tian-duo Li & Qing-fen Niu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, China

    Zai-yong Jiang

  3. Advanced Materials Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250014, China

    Xu-ping Wang

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  1. Hai-xia Liu
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  2. Meng-yuan Teng
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  5. Zai-yong Jiang
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Liu, Hx., Teng, My., Wei, Xg. et al. Mosaic structure ZnO formed by secondary crystallization with enhanced photocatalytic performance. Int J Miner Metall Mater 28, 495–502 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2033-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2033-0

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