Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of ZnO/Sepiolite Composite Materials

Photocatalytic technology is a widely used water treatment method, whose efficiency can be increased by developing a suitable photocatalyst fabrication procedure. In this study, five different synthesis methods were utilised for the preparation of novel ZnO/sepiolite photolytic composites, namely, sol-gel method, hydrothermal reduction, hydrolytic precipitation, powder sintering, and impregnation-reduction. The obtained photocatalysts were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The differences between the applied photocatalyst preparation methods and the reasons for these differences were discussed, and the photocatalytic activities of the prepared composite materials were compared. The obtained results revealed that the physical structure, chemical properties, and photocatalytic performance of the composite produced by the sol-gel method were superior to those of the materials fabricated by the other four methods. Moreover, this material also exhibited high photocatalytic stability, while its photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye proceeded via a quasi-first-order reaction. The prepared composites have broad application prospects in photocatalysis and can be potentially used for treating environmental pollutants.