Photocatalytic Characterization of Fe- and Cu-Doped ZnO Nanorods Synthesized by Cohydrolysis

Abstract EN

Fe- and Cu-doped ZnO nanorods have been synthesized by a novel process employing a hydrolysis of metal powders.

Zn, Fe, and Cu nanopowders were used as starting materials and incorporated into distilled water.

The solution was refluxed at 60°C for 24 h to obtain the precipitates from the hydrolysis of Zn and dopants (Cu and Fe).

The TEM results for ZnO with and without metal doping showed that the produced powders had a rod-like shape.

The rod shape was attributable to the zinc oxide from the hydrolysis of Zn.

With an increasing doping content, the UV-vis spectra were shifted to a long wavelength and this result indicates that the band gap was changed by the metal doping.

The values of phenol degrading Fe- and Cu-doped ZnO by a solar simulator were measured to be 60 and 75%, respectively.