Innovative Soft‐Synthesis Strategy for Selenium‐Modified ZnO Nanoflowers with Photocatalytic Activity Toward Rhodamine B

Abstract It is well known that zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures (NSs) are versatile materials with a wide range of applications, primarily due to their physicochemical properties, linked to their morphology. In this study, we conducted an innovative soft synthesis of Se‐doped ZnO nanoflowers using the chemical bath deposition method. The analysis of the NSs demonstrated a dependence on the Se reactant in the formation of ZnO nanoflowers. The NSs were subjected to calcination at 453 K, 773 K, and 1073 K for 4 h. As a result, we observed the formation of the hexagonal phase and an increase in crystallite size from 14.6 nm to 27 nm. The optical band gap energy was estimated to range from 3.16 to 3.31 eV. Finally, we demonstrated the performance of the Se‐doped ZnO nanoflowers in the photodegradation of RhB using a relatively low‐power lamp and shorter reaction times. ZnO nanoflowers synthesized with a higher concentration of Se precursor and calcined at 1073 K exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of RhB compared to samples with lower Se content.