Visible-light photo-activity of alkali metal doped ZnO

•We have synthesized Li-, Na- and K-doped ZnO powders by sol–gel process.•The synthesized samples were characterized by different techniques.•The photocatalytic activity of materials was evaluated for the degradation of pNP.•Our synthesized materials exhibit good photocatalytic activity.

In order to utilize visible light more efficiently in the field of photocatalysis, Li, Na and K-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared using a sol–gel method. The obtained samples were characterized by BET surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV–vis analysis.The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was evaluated for the degradation of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) under visible light irradiation. It has been observed that these photocatalysts could be a promising photocatalyst for degradation of organic molecules as compared to transition metal doped ZnO under visible light. Li-doped ZnO is the most active photocatalyst and shows high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of p-nitrophenol (p-NP). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Li-doped ZnO is mainly due to the electron trapping by lithium metal ions, small particle size, large surface area, and high surface roughness of the photocatalysts.