Synthesis of dysosma pleiantha-like hierarchical ZnO nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Dysosma pleiantha-like hierarchical ZnO nanostructures (DPHZNs) consisting of nanosheets have been successfully obtained through the thermal decomposition of Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 formed by hydrothermal method at the temperature of 100 °C. The as-prepared DPHPZNs with thickness of 10-20 nm were assembled by large amounts of nanosheets. A possible growth mechanism was proposed as nucleation and growth of nanosheets. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the obtained DPHPZNs was investigated for the degradation of RhB under UV-light illumination. The obtained DPHPZNs exhibit excellent photocatalytic efficiency (98%), which is much higher than commercial P25. It is believed that the efficient photocatalytic property is derived from their unique nanostructures.