Facile fabrication and enhanced photocatalytic properties of ZnO/Au nanocomposites through a mild wet-chemistry route

• Cobblestone-like ZnO/Au nanocomposites were fabricated via a simple and mild nonaqueous synthetic route.
• The structure, composition, morphology, and optical properties were characterized and analyzed using XRD, EDS, TEM, and spectroscopic techniques.
• Such ZnO/Au hybrid nanostructures exhibited more efficient photocatalytic activity toward photodegradation of RhB than that of pure ZnO structure.
• The method potentially can be applied to prepare a number of other novel hybrid nanoarchitectures with analogous structures and different components.

Cobblestone-like ZnO/Au nanocomposites have been synthesized via a simple and practical nonaqueous synthetic strategy at room temperature. The structure, composition, morphology, and optical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that the products were composed of metallic Au and ZnO components; spherical Au nanoparticles were attached to the ZnO supports; ZnO/Au hybrid nanostructures exhibited tunable optical properties. Moreover, these ZnO/Au nanohybrids were found to possess more efficient photocatalytic activity toward photodegradation of RhB than that of pure ZnO structure, which holds promise for applications in environmental remediation and water treatment.

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