Precursor template synthesis of three-dimensional mesoporous ZnO hierarchical structures and their photocatalytic properties

Abstract

In this paper, three-dimensional mesoporous Zinc oxide (ZnO) hierarchical structures were fabricated from the thermal-decomposition of layered basic zinc carbonate (LBZC) precursors, which were synthesized by an urea hydrothermal method without a surfactant. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the LBZC precursors and mesoporous ZnO hierarchical structures. The results of N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms indicated that the pore size distribution and specific surface area can be tailored by varying the urea amount and the annealing temperature. Photocatalytic activity of the mesoporous ZnO was evaluated using the degradation of methyl orange. The influence of urea content and annealing temperature on the morphology and surface specific areas and the effect of BET areas on the photocatalytic activity were discussed. Hierarchical ZnO flowers with 0.006 mol urea added annealed at 300 °C showed good photocatalytic activity.