Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen doped ZnO tetrapods and application in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants under visible light

In this report, the nitrogen doped ZnO tetrapods are prepared by using the solid reaction of ZnO tetrapods and urea at 600 °C. XRD shows that the crystal structure of nitrogen doped ZnO is unchanged maybe due to the low percentage of the nitrogen doping. SEM proves that the nitrogen doping occurs on the surface of ZnO. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the nitrogen doped ZnO tetrapods is evaluated for Bisphenol A photodegradation under visible light irradiation. The results show that the photocatalytic activity of nitrogen doped ZnO tetrapods is higher than those of pure ZnO tetrapods and Degussa TiO2 P25, indicating the great effect of nitrogen doping on the photocatalytic activity of nitrogen doped ZnO tetrapods. Finally, a mechanism is proposed to explain the photodegradation of BPA over nitrogen doped ZnO tetrapods photocatalyst under visible light irradiation.