Silver Nanocluster‐Decorated ZnO Nanoparticles for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue and Rhodamine B

Abstract In this research paper, we synthesized ZnO‐supported silver nanoclusters (ZnO‐AgNCs) and investigated their photocatalytic properties. A thorough structural and morphological analysis was conducted using TEM, XRD, FTIR, ICP‐MS, and XPS techniques. Additionally, we employed UV–vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) measurements to gain insights of their optical characteristics. The ZnO‐AgNCs demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic performance, achieving 92 ± 3% and 86 ± 3% degradation efficiency from methylene blue and rhodamine B, respectively, within 60 min when illuminated by a 30 W LED light source. Remarkably, the ZnO‐AgNCs delivered better performance than that of pristine ZnO for photocatalytic applications.