A facile two-step method was developed
to prepare core/shell ZnO/rGO
particles from ZIF-8/rGO composites. ZIF-8 particles were first grown
at the surface of rGO sheets. Next, ZIF-8 particles were transformed
into ZnO particles by thermal decomposition under air at 500 °C.
All materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,
transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy,
thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
analyses. Results obtained show that ZIF-8 particles strongly associate
with rGO sheets and that the calcination of this material produces
porous core/shell ZnO/rGO particles with an average diameter of ca.
40 nm. The wt % of rGO associated with ZIF-8 particles was varied
from 5 to 20%. The ZnO/rGO (10%) particles exhibit the highest photocatalytic
activity for the degradation of the Orange II dye under simulated
solar light irradiation of weak intensity (5 mW/cm
2
). This
high photocatalytic activity was demonstrated to originate from superoxide
O
2
•–
radicals due to the efficient
trapping of photogenerated electrons in ZnO by rGO.
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