Abstract

A ZnO/SiO₂ photocatalyst was synthesized using a low-cost sol-gel wet chemical. The assynthesized ZnO/SiO₂ hybrid exhibited superior performance in the photodegradation of methylene blue an organic dye under UV irradiation, with considerable degradation of methylene blue dye after 90 minutes of exposure to UV irradiation. The photocatalyst structure, microstructure, morphologies, and surface area were studied using X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that the ZnO/SiO₂ photocatalyst has significant photocatalytic activity which is probably due to higher surface area and good photostability by the addition of silica in zinc oxide which effectively increases the number of active sites and hence improved the photocatalytic activity of the prepared material. The obtained results indicate that the photocatalytic data are in good agreement with the experimental characterization results for the prepared materials, including the XRD results, confirming a close association between the photocatalytic activity and the surface area of the fabricated photocatalyst.