Photocatalytic Degradation of Hydrothermally Grown Zinc Oxide Nanorods on a Silver Seed Layer

Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants has emerged as a promising green technology. In this study, we present a facile approach to enhance photocatalytic performance by fabricating zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs)/silver (Ag) seed layer heterojunctions. The heterojunction fabrication process involves the deposition of a Ag seed layer via spin coating, followed by hydrothermal growth of vertically aligned ZnO NRs (∼2 ± 0.20 μm length, ∼200 nm diameter) on the seed layer at 80 ± 2 °C for 80 min. The growth of ZnO NRs on the Ag seed layer formed a metal-semiconductor heterojunction at their contact surfaces, significantly increasing the surface-to-volume ratio. The appearance of a double band regime at 3.06 eV for Ag and 3.37 eV for ZnO NRs confirms the formation of the Ag-ZnO heterojunctions. Photocatalytic efficacy is demonstrated by the degradation efficiency of methylene blue under UV light irradiation, surpassing previous approaches using ZnO-based photocatalysts. This enhanced degradation efficiency is attributed to the synergistic effects between ZnO and Ag, promoting efficient charge separation and reducing photocorrosion. This research provides a promising approach for designing highly efficient photocatalysts aimed at environmental remediation.