abstract
The diversity of zinc oxide (ZnO) particles and derived composites applications is highly dependent on their structure, size, morphology, defect amounts, and/or presence of dopant molecules. In this work, ZnO nanostructures are grown in situ on graphene oxide (GO) sheets by an easily implementable solvothermal method with simultaneous reduction of GO. The effect of two zinc precursors (zinc acetate (ZA) and zinc acetate dihydrate (ZAD)), NaOH concentration (0.5, 1 or 2 M), and concentration (1 and 12.5 mg/mL) and pH (pH = 1, 4, 8, and 12) of GO suspension were evaluated. While the ZnO particle morphology shows to be precursor dependent, the average particle size length decreases with lower NaOH concentration, as well as with the addition of a higher basicity and concentration of GO suspension. A lowered band gap and a higher specific surface area are obtained from the ZnO composites with higher amounts of GO suspension. Otherwise, the low concentration and the higher pH of GO suspension induce more lattice defects on the ZnO crystal structure. The role of the different condition parameters on the ZnO nanostructures and their interaction with graphene sheets was observed to tune the ZnO-rGO nanofiller properties for photocatalytic and antimicrobial activities.
keywords
ENHANCED PHOTOCATALYTIC PERFORMANCE; ZNO NANOPARTICLES; HYDROTHERMAL SYNTHESIS; SURFACE-DEFECTS; QUANTUM DOTS; NANOSTRUCTURES; NANOCOMPOSITES; ANTIBACTERIAL; MORPHOLOGY; ANTIOXIDANT
subject category
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; Physics, Applied
authors
Alves, Z; Nunes, C; Ferreira, P
our authors
Cláudia Nunes
Assistant Researcher
Paula Celeste da Silva Ferreira
Coordinating Researcher
Zélia Ribeiro Alves
Junior ResearcherGroups
G2 - Photonic, Electronic and Magnetic Materials
G4 - Renewable Materials and Circular Economy
Projects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)
Projeto de Investigação Exploratória: Paula Ferreira (IF_Paula Ferreira)
Embalagens em biocompósitos para preservação ativa de alimentos (BIOFOODPACK)
acknowledgements
This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020 & UIDP/50011/2020). Z.A., C.N. and P.F. thank FCT for the grants PD/BD/117457/2016, SFRH/BPD/100627/2014, and IF/00300/2015, respectively. This work was also supported by BIOFOODPACK project (M-ERA.NET2/0021/2016) and by national funds (OE), through FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of 29 August, changed by Law 57/2017, of 19 July.