Fabrication and characterization of ZnO particles with different morphologies for photocatalytic degradation of pentachlorophenol

In this work, ZnO particles with different morphologies were successfully prepared by a simple solution route at low temperature. The products were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, TEM, HRTEM, SAED, TG–DTA and UV–Vis DRS. To further understand the formation processes of these ZnO particles, XRD analyses of the intermediates and concentration measurements of Zn(II) remaining in the reaction solution were made at regular intervals throughout the reactions. A possible formation mechanism is discussed. Photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared ZnO powders, evaluated by degradation of pentachlorophenol under UV irradiation, is found to be closely related to the particle morphology.