Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of ZnO-Au25 nanocomposites

ZnO-Au₂₅ nanocomposites were synthesized by doping Au₂₅ nanoclusters into the porous ZnO nanospheres. It was notable that the ultrasmall Au₂₅ nanoclusters possessed uniform sizes and fine dispersibility on the porous ZnO supports. A considerable correlation between the loading of Au₂₅ nanoclusters and the photocatalytic activity was found. Compared with the pure ZnO nanospheres, the ZnO-Au₂₅ nanocomposites exhibited more efficient photocatalytic activity in terms of degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in an aqueous solution. In addition, the possible photocatalytic mechanisms are discussed in this work. This strategy may be helpful for preparing other novel hybrid nanocomposites with well-defined structures and superior performances.