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Reducing the photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide quantum dots by surface modification

journal contribution
posted on 2009-09-01, 00:00 authored by Jinfeng Wang, Takuya Tsuzuki, Lu Sun, Xungai Wang
The use of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles as ultraviolet (UV) absorbers for many organic substrates is limited because of the high photocatalytic activity of ZnO. In this study, a facile and efficient technique for the preparation of a hybrid material of silica-coated ZnO nanoparticles was used to reduce the photocatalytic activity of ZnO. Monodispersed ZnO nanopartcles were prepared by wet chemistry and the particle surface was modified by tetraethylorthosilicate to form a silica coating via the Sto¨ ber method. ZnO samples, both before and after the coating process, were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scanning, infrared, and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The effect of the surface modification on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO was studied by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B caused by photo-generated free radicals. The results implied that the photo-generation of free-radicals was strongly quenched by the presence of silica on the particle surface.

History

Journal

Journal of the American ceramic society

Volume

92

Issue

9

Pagination

2083 - 2088

Publisher

Wiley Interscience

Location

New York, N. Y.

ISSN

0002-7820

eISSN

1551-2916

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2009, Deakin University