Facile approach to prepare ZnO@SiO₂ nanomaterials for photocatalytic degradation of some organic pollutant models

Band gap energy narrowing upon doping is consider as a general phenomenon in semiconductors. However, low surface area still the main problem that limits its wide applications. Herein, incorporation of ZnO on the surface and inside the matrix of SiO₂ using CTAB as structural and capping agent have prepared via sol–gel wet chemical pathway. The crystalline size, structural and textural properties of the obtained samples were investigated through different techniques like XRD, S_BET surface area, UV–Vis spectroscopy, FESEM and TEM. The results indicate that the surface area and pore volume constant decrease by insertion of ZnO nanoparticles in the pore wall and/or above the surface of silica. In the other hand, the organic materials removal enhanced due to the existence of different types of pores ranging from microspores to wide mesoporous system. Following the nanomaterials preparation and characterizations, some experiments have done to check the effect on the organic materials like dyes removal. One of these tests is COD result, which affirm the good degradation for most of MB dye that exist in the solution. Furthermore, the scavenger study results show that the ZnO@SiO₂ nanomaterials displayed good photocatalytic properties compared to the bare silica one via its charge carrier and reactive hydroxyl radicals species. The scrutinization at the features of the obtained materials enable us to offering without doubt a promising photocatalyst candidate for different applications in wastewater and water treatment.