Preparation and characterization of 2D ZnO nanosheets/regenerated cellulose photocatalytic composite thin films by a two-step synthesis method

2D ZnO nanosheets-regenerated cellulose (ZNSRC) photocatalytic composite thin films were prepared from ZnCl2 by using a two–step synthesis method at room temperature. The results show that during the formation of ZNSRC composite thin film, ZnCl2 first reacted with NaOH to form Zn5(OH)8Cl2·H2O which was then converted to ZnO. The 2D ZnO nanosheets are 350–450 nm in transverse size and 80 nm in thickness, dispersed on both the surface and inside of the ZNSRC thin films. The ZNSRC prepared by 13 h of reaction time has a characteristic of nanoporous 2D ZnO nanosheets and exhibits the best photocatalytic activity, as 1.53 × 10−5 mol methyl orange was completely degraded in 50 min by using 1 g catalyst. Thus, we can conclude that the ZNSRC photocatalytic composite thin films can be very useful for degrading organic dye wastewater.