Title:Synthesis of ZnO Microstructure Decorated with Ag Nanoparticles at Different Annealing Temperature and their Photocatalytic Activity
VOLUME: 11 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Hartini Ahmad Rafaie*, Nor Atikah Embong, Nurul Infaza Talalah Ramli, Ruziana Mohamed and Muhd Firdaus Kasim
Affiliation:Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang, 26400 Bandar Tun Abdul Razak Jengka, Pahang, Center for Nanomaterials Research, Institute of Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam Selangor
Keywords:ZnO microstructure, Ag nanoparticles, photocatalytic, annealing temperature, methylene blue,
environmental pollution.
Abstract:Background: ZnO microstructures decorated with Ag nanoparticles (AgZnO)
were synthesized by sol-gel method.
Methodology: The samples were annealed at different annealing temperature ranging from
500 to 700°C, respectively.
Results: The effect of different annealing temperature on the crystal structure and morphologies
of prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission
scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS). The
photocatalytic degradation reaction is tested by the decomposition of methylene blue (MB)
dye under ultra violet (UV) irradiation for 60 minutes.
Conclusion: The EDS result demonstrated that the particle-like AgZnO samples consist of
element Zn, O and Ag. XRD analysis shows that the AgZnO exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite
crystal structure of ZnO and face-centered cubic (FCC) of Ag. The crystallite size was increased
as annealing temperature was increased in the range of 84.14 nm – 103.89 nm. In
particular, AgZnO annealed at 700°C exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity by degrading
methylene blue (MB) solution by almost 92.99 % in 60 minutes compared to pure ZnO
samples.
