Improved Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes by ZnO‐Nanoflowers

Abstract Recently, we reported one pot synthesis of ZnO nanoflowers ( ZnO‐NFs ) by using asymmetric Zn(II) dimeric complex, [Zn(hmp‐H) 2 (H 2 O)( μ ‐Cl)Zn( μ ‐Cl)(Cl) 3 ], (A) , [hmp‐H=2‐(2‐hydroxymethyl)pyridine)] as a single molecular precursor at room temperature (RT). The prepared ZnO‐NFs catalyst was systematically probed for its structural, morphological and functional properties. Our primary aim was to utilize ZnO‐NFs to find a superior photocatalyst for the degradation of different dyes such as Methyl orange (MO), Congo red (CR), Chicago sky blue (CSB) and Eosin B (EO) which are commonly found in industrial waste and are major contributor to the river pollutant. In order to overcome this problem, we explored the photocatalytic performance of ZnO‐NFs , which results in improved photocatalytic activity towards MO dye (15 mg/L, 99.46 %) compared to other dyes CR, CSB and EO. Based on the photocatalytic evaluations, ZnO‐NFs could possess versatile photocatalytic properties for remediation of contaminated water.