Effect of precursor concentration to the morphology and photocatalytic activity of electrochemically grown zinc oxide microflowers

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of varying precursor concentration to the morphology of synthesized Zinc Oxide (ZnO) microflowers in relation to its photocatalytic activity. Electrochemical synthesis was done using a sodium nitrate solution prepared at five different molarities. X-ray diffractometry shows that the synthesized structures are indeed hexagonal wurtzite ZnO. The SEM micrographs indicate that the ZnO are flower-shaped microstructures. Photocatalytic activity was evaluated using Rhodamine B and Methylene Blue with photocatalysts irradiated by UV for 12 hours. Results show that smaller structures are more efficient photocatalysts due to their high surface area-volume ratio.