Hierarchical ZnO-TiO2 nanoheterojunction: A strategy driven approach to boost the photocatalytic performance through the synergy of improved surface area and interfacial charge transport
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract Current research emphasizes on the development of metal oxide-based nanostructured heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic applications. As of now, commercially available photocatalysts cannot satisfy the ever-expanding challenges in energy and environmental sectors. Thus, the present work demonstrates the influence of hierarchical ZnO-TiO2 heterojunction on improved physicochemical and photocatalytic properties. The morphological modifications of ZnO-TiO2 heterojunction is achieved via tuning of composite ratio. Consequently, the formation of well-crafted hierarchical ZnO-TiO2 heterojunction exhibits enhanced photocatalytic performance for methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dye degradation. This combined approach of structural tuning and heterojunction formation delivers the advantage of the improved surface area along with effective charge carrier separation. Accordingly, ZnO-TiO2 with optimal composite ratio (1:1) showed superior photocatalytic performance than the remaining samples. Various structural, surface, optical and photoelectrochemical assessments were employed to examine those exceptional modifications encountered in optimally designed ZnO-TiO2 heterojunction. It has been found that the utilization of such an optimized photocatalyst not only ensures better light-harvesting capability but also diminishes the charge carrier recombination rate through appropriate surface defects and suitable band alignment. Furthermore, a probable mechanism accountable for the improved photocatalytic performance is also proposed and explained.
Source: openaire · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques · Copper-based nanomaterials and applications · TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (65)
Show source-provided references
1. Rania E. Adam, Mahsa Pirhashemi, Sami Elhag, Xianjie Liu, Aziz Habibi-Yangjeh, Magnus Willandera, Omer Nur, ZnO/Ag/Ag2WO4 photo-electrodes with plasmonic behavior for enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation, RSC Adv. 9 (2019) 8271–8279.10.1039/C8RA10141H ↗
2. Novel 3D/2D heterojunction photocatalysts constructed by threedimensional In2S3 dandelions and ultrathin hexagonal SnS2 nanosheets with excellent photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activities10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.09.013 ↗
3. A review on bidirectional analogies between the photocatalysis and antibacterial properties of ZnO10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.12.330 ↗
4. Multi-dimensional zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoarchitectures as efficient photocatalysts: What is the fundamental factor that determines photoactivity in ZnO?10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120958 ↗
5. Photocatalytic water decontamination using graphene and ZnO coupled photocatalysts: A review10.1016/j.mset.2019.04.007 ↗
6. First-principles calculations and experimental investigation on SnO2@ZnO heterojunction photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic performance10.1016/j.jcis.2019.06.053 ↗
7. Controlling oxygen vacancies and enhanced visible light photocatalysis of CeO2/ZnO nanocomposites, Journal of Photochemistry and & Photobiology, A
8. Growth of flower-like ZnO via surfactant-free hydrothermal synthesis on ITO substrate at low temperature10.1039/c2ce25606a ↗
9. Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 by ZnO Micro/nanomaterials with Different Morphologies and Ratios of 0001 Facets
10. Hisao Yanagi, Enhanced charge transport in Al-doped ZnO nanotubes designed via simultaneous etching and Al doping of H2O-oxidized ZnO nanorods for solar cell applications10.1039/C9TC00401G ↗
11. Dye Nanoaggregate Structures in MK-2, N3, and N749 Dye···TiO2 Interfaces That Represent Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Working Electrodes10.1021/acsaem.9b02002 ↗
12. Response and characteristics of TiO2/perovskite heterojunctions for CO gas sensors10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.04.238 ↗
13. Energy-efficient, microwave-assisted hydro/ solvothermal synthesis of hierarchical flowers and rice grain-like ZnO nanocrystals as photoanodes for high performance dye-sensitized solar cells10.1039/C5CE01438G ↗
14. Gabriela Byzynskia, Andreza Prado Pereira, Diogo P. Volanti, Caue Ribeiro, Elson Longo, High-performance ultraviolet-visible driven ZnO morphologies photocatalyst obtained by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry 353 (2018) 358–367.10.1016/j.jphotochem.2017.11.032 ↗
15. MWCNT decorated V-doped titania: An efficient visible active photocatalyst10.1016/j.jallcom.2016.12.002 ↗
16. Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of magnetically separable hexagonal Ni/ZnO nanostructure10.1039/c2nr31831h ↗
17. Hydrogenated TiO2/ZnO heterojunction nanorod arrays with enhanced performance for photoelectrochemical water splitting10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.10.087 ↗
18. Próspero Acevedo-Pẽna, Ignacio González, Rubén Arroyo, Semiconducting properties of ZnO/TiO2 composites by electrochemical measurements and their relationship with photocatalytic activity10.1016/j.electacta.2014.06.060 ↗
19. Influence of the preparation method and ZnO/(ZnO+TiO2) weight ratio on the physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of ZnO-TiO2 nanomaterials
20. Enhanced charge transfer and separation of hierarchical CuO/ZnO composites: The synergistic effect of photocatalysis for the mineralization of organic pollutant in water10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.03.131 ↗
21. Tran Mai Lien, Tran Thi Tuong Van, Ruey-Shin Juang, Enhanced removal of various dyes from aqueous solutions by UV and simulated solar photocatalysis over TiO2/ZnO/rGO composites
22. Insight into the Transfer Mechanisms of Photogenerated Carriers for Heterojunction Photocatalysts with Analogous Positions of Valence Band and Conduction Band: a Case Study of ZnO/TiO2
23. Zhong Lin Wang, Piezotronic Effect Enhanced Photocatalysis in Strained Anisotropic ZnO/TiO2 Nanoplatelets via Thermal Stress
24. Jin Hyuk Kwon, Jonghoon Yi, Youngku Sohn, Jin Seog Gwag, Novel composite ZnO/TiO2 thin film photoanodes for enhanced visible-light-driven photoelectrochemical water splitting activity10.1016/j.jelechem.2017.09.045 ↗
25. Kalyan Kumar Chattopadhyay, Recent advances in low temperature, solution processed morphology tailored ZnO nanoarchitectures for electron emission and photocatalysis applications10.1039/C5CE01130B ↗
26. Abdul Rahman Mohamed, Sunlight photocatalytic activity enhancement and mechanism of novel europium-doped ZnO hierarchical micro/nanospheres for degradation of phenol10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.11.001 ↗
27. Enhanced photoelectrochemical performance and photocatalytic activity of ZnO/TiO2 nanostructures fabricated by an electrostatically modified electrospinning10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.07.218 ↗
28. Abinash Das, P. Malakar, Ranjith G. Nair, Engineering of ZnO nanostructures for efficient solar photocatalysis, Materials Letters 219 (2018) 76–80.10.1016/j.matlet.2018.02.057 ↗
29. Synthesis of porous ZnO/TiO2 thin films with superhydrophilicity and photocatalytic activity via a template-free sol–gel method10.1016/j.surfcoat.2014.08.042 ↗
30. Tailoring and optimization of hybrid ZnO:TiO2:CdO nanomaterials for advance oxidation process under visible light10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.145326 ↗
31. Synthesis of ZnO:TiO2 nanocomposites for photocatalyst application in visible light
32. Heteroepitaxial growth of ZnO branches selectively on TiO2 nanorod tips with improved light harvesting performance10.1039/c1cc12309b ↗
33. Zhong Lin Wang, Piezotronic Effect Enhanced Photocatalysis in Strained Anisotropic ZnO/TiO2 Nanoplatelets via Thermal Stress10.1021/acsnano.5b07678 ↗
34. Linyu Zhu, Hong Li, Zirui Liu, Pengfei Xia, Yahong Xie, Dehua Xiong, Synthesis of the 0D/3D CuO/ZnO Heterojunction with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity, (2018) DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b01933.10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b01933 ↗
35. Dandan Wang, Donglai Han, Zhu Shi, Jian Wang, Jinghai Yang, Xiuyan Li, Hang Song, Optimized design of threedimensional multi-shell Fe3O4/SiO2/ZnO/ZnSe microspheres with type II heterostructure for photocatalytic applications, Applied Catalysis B, Environmental https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.01.002.10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.01.002 ↗
36. T. Anh Thu Do, Ho Truong Giang, Do Van Huong, Pham Quang Ngan, Giang Hong Thai, Do Thi Thu, Tran Dai Lam, Correlation between photoluminescence spectra with gas sensing and photocatalytic activities in hierarchical ZnO nanostructures, RSC Adv. 7 (2017) 9826–9832.10.1039/C6RA27737C ↗
37. ZnO/TiO2 composites for photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2017.02.005 ↗
38. Structure and optical properties of Dy3þ activated sol-gel ZnO-TiO2 nanocomposites10.1016/j.jallcom.2017.03.345 ↗
39. Tariq Khalafi, Foad Buazar, Kamal Ghanemi, Phycosynthesis and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Toward Organosulfur Pollutants, 9:6866 (2019) 1-10.10.1038/s41598-019-43368-3 ↗
40. Effect of aspect ratio on photocatalytic performance of hexagonal ZnO nanorods10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.153277 ↗
41. Julián Jiménez Reinosa, Carmen María Álvarez Docio, Víctor Zapata Ramírez, José Francisco Fernández Lozano, Hierarchical nano ZnO-micro TiO2 composites: High UV protection yield lowering photodegradation in sunscreens, Ceramics International 44 (2018) 2827–2834.10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.11.028 ↗
42. Role of zinc interstitials and oxygen vacancies of ZnO in photocatalysis: a bottom-up approach to control defect density10.1039/C4NR01887G ↗
43. Production of visible activity and UV performance enhancement of ZnO photocatalyst via vacuum deoxidation10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.02.011 ↗
44. Youlei Lai, Ming Meng∗, Yifu Yu, Xitao Wang, Tong Ding, Photoluminescence and photocatalysis of the flower-like nano-ZnO photocatalysts prepared by a facile hydrothermal method with or without ultrasonic assistance, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 105 (2011) 335–345.10.1016/j.apcatb.2011.04.028 ↗
45. Photoluminescence phenomena prevailing in c-axis oriented intrinsic ZnO thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering10.1039/C4RA06063F ↗
46. Role of zinc interstitials and oxygen vacancies of ZnO in photocatalysis: A bottom-up approach to control the defect density10.1039/C4NR01887G ↗
47. Synthesis of zinc oxide/titanium dioxide (ZnO/TiO2) nanocomposites by wet incipient wetness impregnation method and preparation of ZnO/TiO2 paste using poly(vinylpyrrolidone) for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells10.1016/j.electacta.2016.10.200 ↗
48. ZnO nanosheets with atomically thin ZnS overlayers for photocatalytic water splitting10.1039/C8TA01846D ↗
49. The surface oxygen vacancy induced visible activity and enhanced UV activity of a ZnO1−x photocatalyst10.1039/c3cy00369h ↗
50. Simelys Hernández, Diana Hidalgo, Adriano Sacco, Angelica Chiodoni, Andrea Lamberti, Valentina Cauda, Elena Tresso, Guido Saracco, Comparison of photocatalytic and transport properties of TiO2 and ZnO nanostructures for solar-driven water splitting, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 17 (2015) 7775-7786.10.1039/C4CP05857G ↗
51. Jun Wei Lim, Honghu Zeng, A Z-scheme WO3 loaded-hexagonal rod-like ZnO/Zn photocatalytic fuel cell for chemical energy recuperation from food wastewater treatment
52. Insight into charge carrier separation and solar-light utilization: rGO decorated 3D ZnO hollow microspheres for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
53. Sulfur-doped g-C3N4/TiO2 S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for Congo Red photodegradation10.1016/S1872-2067(20)63634-8 ↗
54. YaoWu, Yaorong Su, Hua Tang, 3D/2D direct Z-scheme heterojunctions of hierarchical TiO2 microflowers/g-C3N4 nanosheets with enhanced charge carrier separation for photocatalytic H2 evolution10.1016/j.carbon.2019.04.088 ↗
55. Cu modified ZnO nanoflakes: An efficient visible light-driven photocatalyst and a promising photoanode for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC)10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2020.106290 ↗
56. Improved photocatalytic activity of ZnO-TiO2 nanocomposite catalysts by modulating TiO2 thickness10.1088/2053-1591/ab49c4 ↗
57. The role of ball milled h-BN in the enhanced photocatalytic activity: A study based on the model of ZnO10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.05.069 ↗
58. Preparation and sonophotocatalytic performance of hierarchical Bi2WO6 structures and effects of various factors on the rate of Rhodamine B degradation10.1016/j.ultsonch.2017.03.054 ↗
59. Recent advancements in the sonophotocatalysis (SPC) and doped-sonophotocatalysis (DSPC) for the treatment of recalcitrant hazardous organic water pollutants10.1016/j.ultsonch.2016.12.022 ↗
60. Highly efficient photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic activity of solar light driven WO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite10.1016/j.solmat.2016.11.005 ↗
61. BiVO4/CeO2 Nanocomposites with High Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Activity10.1021/am300812n ↗
62. 3D porous ZnO–SnS p–n heterojunction for visible light driven photocatalysis10.1039/C7CP01687E ↗
63. Sandeep Kumar Lakhera, Hafeez Yusuf Hafeez, Pandiyarasan Veluswamy, V.Ganesh, Anish Khan, Hiroya Ikeda, Bernaurdshaw Neppolian, Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation and Hydrogen Production activity of In Situ grown TiO2 coupled NiTiO3 Nanocomposites, Applied Surface Science https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.02.136.10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.02.136 ↗
64. Photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A over Rh/TiO2 suspensions in different water matrices10.1016/j.cattod.2016.10.021 ↗
65. A. Khorsand Zak, W.H.abd. Majid, H.Z. Wang, Ramin Yousefi, A. Moradi Golsheikh, Z.F. Ren, Sonochemical synthesis of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 20 (2013) 395–400.10.1016/j.ultsonch.2012.07.001 ↗