Synthesis and highly efficient photocatalytic activity of mixed oxides derived from ZnNiAl layered double hydroxides

ZnO/NiO/ZnAl2O4 mixed-metal oxides were successfully synthesized through a hydrotalcite-like precursor route, in which appropriate amounts of metal salts solutions were mixed to obtain a new series of ZnNiAl layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as precursors, followed by calcination under different temperatures. The as-obtained samples were characterized by SEM, HRTEM, TEM, XRD, BET, TG-DTA, and UV-Vis spectra techniques. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by degradation of methyl orange (MO) under the simulated sunlight irradiation. The effects of Zn/Ni/Al mole ratio and calcination temperature on the composition, morphology and photocatalytic activity of the samples were investigated in detail. The results indicated that compared with ZnNiAl-LDHs, the mixed-metal oxide showed superior photocatalytic performance for the degradation of MO. A maximum of 97.3% photocatalytic decoloration rate within 60 min was achieved from the LDH with the Zn/Ni/Al mole ratio of 2:1:1 and the calcination temperature of 500 °C, which much exceeded that of Degussa P25 under the same conditions. The possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation over ZnO/NiO/ZnAl2O4 was discussed.