Loading effect of Ag/AgO on the photocatalytic performance of ZnO rods

The photocatalytic performance of ZnO rods in degradation of Rhodamine B dye under UV light was improved by 7.3% via deposition of Ag/AgO using 1.0 × 10 −3 g mL −1 of silver nitrate solution. However, its photodegradation efficiency decreased with the increase in silver nitrate concentration which was used to prepare the Ag/AgO–ZnO rods. This result suggests that the loading of Ag/AgO on the surface of ZnO rods affected the photocatalytic performance differently. The scavenger study indicates that the main reactive species responsible for the degradation of Rhodamine B dye by Ag-/AgO-deposited ZnO rods were holes, followed by superoxide anion free radicals, hydroxyl free radicals and electrons. Based on these findings, a refined photodegradation mechanism of Rhodamine B by Ag/AgO–ZnO rods is proposed.