Large-scale synthesis of ZnO balls made of fluffy thin nanosheets by simple solution process: Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties

► Simply synthesized ZnO balls made of fluffy thin nanosheets were utilized for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. ► Almost complete degradation of MB was observed within 70 min under UV-light irradiation. ► The synthesized ZnO exhibits superior photocatalytic performance as compared to commercially available TiO2-UV-100 photocatalyst.