Synergistic effect of N-decorated and Mn(2+) doped ZnO nanofibers with enhanced photocatalytic activity.
Here we report a high efficiency photocatalyst, i.e., Mn(2+)-doped and N-decorated ZnO nanofibers (NFs) enriched with vacancy defects, fabricated via electrospinning and a subsequent controlled annealing process. This nanocatalyst exhibits excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity and an apparent quantum efficiency up to 12.77%, which is 50 times higher than that of pure ZnO. It also demonstrates good stability and durability in repeated photocatalytic degradation experiments. A comprehensive structural analysis shows that high density of oxygen vacancies and nitrogen are introduced into the nanofibers surface. Hence, the significant enhanced visible photocatalytic properties for Mn-ZnO NFs are due to the synergetic effects of both Mn(2+) doping and N decorated. Further investigations exhibit that the Mn(2+)-doping facilitates the formation of N-decorated and surface defects when annealing in N2 atmosphere. N doping induce the huge band gap decrease and thus significantly enhance the absorption of ZnO nanofibers in the range of visible-light. Overall, this paper provides a new approach to fabricate visible-light nanocatalysts using both doping and annealing under anoxic ambient.
State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
Yuting
Y
Wang
State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
Jing
J
Cheng
Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Suye
S
Yu
Department of materials, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
Enric Juan
EJ
Alcocer
State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
Muhammad
M
Shahid
State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
Ziyuan
Z
Wang
State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
Wei
W
Pan