Superior photocatalytic properties of phosphorous-doped ZnO nanocombs

Abstract

We demonstrated that phosphorous (P)-doped ZnO nanocombs exhibited extremely high photocatalytic efficiency, which was evaluated by photodegrading methylene blue dyes in aqueous solutions. The photocatalyst takes advantage of the large surface to volume ratio (S/V) and abundant surface defect states of ZnO nanostructures. To maximize the S/V for more efficient light irradiation, the morphologies of the P-doped ZnO nanostructures were tailored by controlling the ratio of argon and oxygen in the carrier gas. P-doping caused a bunch of surface defects in ZnO, which could effectively restrain the recombination of photogenerated carriers and improve the photocatalytic behavior. Superior photocatalytic behaviors of P-doped ZnO nanocombs, as well as the availability of catalyst-free large scale synthesis, provide a new paradigm for rational synthesis of high efficient photocatalysts.