Optical properties of growing ZnO QDs in suspension and their effect on PC activity

Taha Ahmed

June 12, 2017

Introduction

Simple suspensions of ZnO quantum dots

ZnO is cheap, non-toxic, and easy to make nanoparticles of. In the QD regime, reactivity increases significantly.

I would like to present an investigation into ZnO QD suspensions as an efficient and environmentally-neutral photocatalyst of distributed pollutants.

Wurtzite ZnO offers advantages over anatase TiO2

  • direct band gap (higher absorption coefficient)
  • higher charge carrier mobility
  • more versatile for synthesis of low-dimensional structures

Synthesis

Just mix Zn(OAc)2 and alkali

Precursor solutions in EtOH:

M/g mol-1 n/mmol V/mL m/g C/mol L-1
Zn(Ac)2·2H2O 219.50 5.0 50 1.0975 0.10
LiOH·H2O 41.96 7.0 50 0.2937 0.14
  • Zinc acetate was dissolved in boiling EtOH.
  • Lithium hydroxide was gently dissolved in EtOH at 45°C.

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