Growth mechanism and photocatalytic evaluation of flower-like ZnO microstructures prepared with SDBS assistance

Flower-like ZnO microstructures were successfully produced using a hydrothermal method employing ZnSO_(4)/(NH_(4))_(2)SO_(4) as a raw material.The effect of the operating parameters of the hydrothermal temperature, OH^(-)/Zn^(2+) molar ratio, time, and amount of dispersant on the phase structure and micromorphology of the ZnO particles were investigated.The synthesis conditions of the flower-like ZnO microstructures were: hydrothermal temperature of 160℃, OH^(-)/Zn^(2+) molar ratio of 5:1, reaction time of 4 h, and 4 mL of dispersant.The flower-like ZnO microstructures were comprised of hexagon-shaped ZnO rods arranged in a radiatively.Degradation experiments of Rhodamine B with the flower-like ZnO microstructures demonstrated a degradation efficiency of 97.6% after 4 h of exposure to sunshine, indicating excellent photocatalytic capacity.The growth mechanism of the flower-like ZnO microstructures was presented.