The action of enhanced reactive oxygen species production through the dopant of Al2O3/GO in piezoelectric ZnO

The application of Zinc oxide has drawn great attention in bacterial inhibition and contaminant degradation field in recent years. The internal structure and the morphology of the material was characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM. The dopant of 1 wt% graphene oxide（GO） and 30 wt% Al2O3 shows excellent piezocatalytic and antibacterial ability. Application potential of the material is investigated by the degradation of RhB and the inhibition of Bacillus. It is found that the RhB solution can be degraded 92.5% by ZA-GO in 15 min, while ZnO can degrade 64.2%. It shows superior catalytic behavior in successive experiments of degradation of RhB without obvious decrease in efficiency. The quenching experiment combined with ESR spectrum demonstrate that both •O2- and •OH radicals were generated, while •OH did the most damage. Bacterial inhibition tests have also proven that the generation of reactive oxygen species cause the bacteria inactivated. In this work, a novel composite ZnO-Al2O3/GO has been successfully prepared based on mechanical synthesis method. Graphene oxide has higher mechanical strength and higher specific surface area. Zn ions doping carbon materials not only increases its stability, but also promotes its conductivity. The doping of Al atoms effectively reduce the work function of ZnO. Graphene oxide together with alumina coordinate the band gap of piezoelectric materials ZnO and the catalytic reaction efficiency was dramatically enhanced. What’s more, this work provides a facile approach eliminated the use of solvents and organic reagents, ensuring greater environmental safety. The novel zinc oxide matrix composites are depicted as a promising candidate to be used as intelligent antibacterial agent and alleviate environmental pollution.