Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of Pt–ZnO hybrid nanocomposite by solution plasma technology

Abstract

In this paper, Pt-ZnO hybrid nanocomposites were prepared by solution plasma technology. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) were used to verify their chemical composition. The size and morphology of the Pt-ZnO hybrid nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These results indicate that about 2-3 nm Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and dispersed on the pyramid-like ZnO (20-60 nm) surface. Photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) demonstrates that the Pt (5 wt%)-ZnO hybrid nanocomposite has better photocatalytic activity than commercial P25 because Pt NPs restrain the photogenerated electron/hole recombination and increase the catalyst activity.