Fabrication of ZnO nanorods on a stainless-steel mesh for highly efficient photocatalyticapplications

In this research, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) methodon steel mesh ۴۰۰ for the photocatalytic decomposition of two organic pollutants namely methylene blue dyeand tetracycline antibiotic. To reach the optimal state of ZnO growth different parameters including the concentrationof the nucleation solution, the number of deposition cycles, and growth temperature were studied. Theoptimal sample with a growth time of ۳ h at a temperature of ۹۵ °C and a concentration of ۵ mM zinc acetate asa nucleation solution was used for photocatalytic degradation tests. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS)analysis showed the energy gap of ۳.۲eV for ZnO nanorods. The flexibility and easy synthesis of the mentionedphotocatalyst as well as the fast recovery from the treated wastewater are promising for the practical applications.

Keywords:

Semiconductor , Zinc oxide nanorods , Photocatalyst , Tetracycline , Methylene blue