ZnO rod decorated with Ag nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

Silver-zinc oxide nanocomposite (Ag-ZnO nanocomposite) were synthesised with different concentrations of Ag doped to the ZnO for enhance photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. The structures, morphologies, and optical properties of synthesised nanocomposites were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FRIR), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The average size of the synthesized Ag nanoparticles was around 40 nm and ZnO nanorod were 2 μm in length and 200 nm in width. The morphological characterization revealed that Ag nanoparticles were well doped with the ZnO rod surface. The performance and stability of the nanocomposites for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation were evaluated. The overall results suggested that, 6% of Ag nanoparticles achieved better degradation than compare to the other concentrations and bare ZnO. This work provides a simple and effective route to prepare Ag-ZnO nanocomposite for effective degradation of methylene blue. Therefore, Ag-ZnO nanocomposite can be regarded as a potential candidate for application in the treatment of waste water.