Photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of ZnO powders prepared via a sol-gel method

Abstract

We report on the synthesis of ZnO powders via a sol-gel method. The prepared powders were calcined at temperatures of 300, 500 and 700 °C for 1 h with a heating rate of 10 °C/min. The microstructures of the fabricated powders were characterized using SEM and XRD techniques. The results showed that all samples exhibited agglomeration of spherically shaped particles and revealed only a Wurtzite phase. The photocatalytic activities of the powders were tested via the degradation of a methylene blue (MB) solution under UV irradiation. Finally, antibacterial activity was evaluated by observation of the inactivation of E. coli. It was seen that samples calcined at higher temperatures gave better photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. At the highest calcination temperature investigated in this experiment (T700 condition), the powders showed photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of 80.06 and 99.00%, respectively.