Seed-mediated synthesis and the photo-degradation activity of ZnO-graphene hybrids excluding the influence of dye adsorption

The nano-sized ZnO-graphene hybrid has been prepared through combining the facile sol-gel process and hydrothermal method by using Zn(NO3)2·6H2O and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) as growing reactants in the presence of ZnO-graphene oxide (ZnO-GO) seeds. The obtained products have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The results show that the GO has been converted to reduced-graphene oxide during the hydrothermal process due to the released reductant from HMT. The photo-degradation of methylene blue in the presence of ZnO-graphene (excluding the influence of the dye adsorption on the catalyst) has also been investigated in detail. It is found that the preparation conditions have significant effects on photo-catalytic properties of the composites, and that ZnO-graphene prepared in the optimal conditions exhibits the optimum activity. This facile and low-cost method will make the composite a perfect candidate in applications of photo-catalysis and other areas.