Enhanced visible-light photocatalysis in three-dimensional rose-like ZnO with oxygen vacancies and Ag nanoparticles

Three-dimensional rose-like ZnO (R-ZnO) is an appealing photocatalyst due to its remarkable properties, while it is also essential to boost its current visible light photocatalytic performance. In this study, R-ZnO was prepared by the hydrothermal method, and oxygen vacancies and Ag nanoparticles were introduced by calcining the ZnO precursor in an argon atmosphere and the photoreduction method, respectively, to improve the photocatalytic activity. The prepared Ag/Ar-ZnO exhibits a narrower bandgap of 2.79 eV, highly increased light absorption both in the ultraviolet and visible light regions, and improved charge separation and transfer efficiencies induced by the relatively higher number of oxygen vacancies and the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of the Ag nanoparticles. Therefore, Ag/Ar-ZnO displays a significantly enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance, with a methyl orange (MO) photodegradation rate constant (Kap) that is 2.41 and 3.59 times higher than those of Ag-ZnO and Ar-ZnO, respectively. This research offers an effective way to enhance the photodegradation performance of R-ZnO under visible light irradiation.