Effect of plasma treatment of Ag/ZnO hybrid photocatalysts on the optical properties and morphology of Ag nanoparticles

Savastenko N.А., Shcherbovich A.А., Lyushkevich V.A., Filatova I.I., Maskevich S.A.

For Russian citation (Opticheskii Zhurnal):

Савастенко Н.А., Щербович А.А., Люшкевич В.А., Филатова И.И., Маскевич С.А. Влияние плазменной обработки гибридных фотокатализаторов Ag/ZnO на оптические свойства и морфологию наночастиц Ag // Оптический журнал. 2024. Т. 91. № 6. С. 87–98. http://doi.org/10.17586/1023-5086-2024-91-06-87-98

Savastenko N.A., Shcherbovich A.A., Lyushkevich V.A., Filatova I.I., Maskevich S.A. Effect of plasma treatment of Ag/ZnO hybrid photocatalysts on the optical properties and morphology of Ag nanoparticles [in Russian] // Opticheskii Zhurnal. 2024. V. 91. № 6. P. 87–98. http://doi.org/10.17586/1023-5086-2024-91-06-87-98

For citation (Journal of Optical Technology):

Abstract:

Subject of study. Ag/ZnO hybrid photocatalysts and silver nanoparticles as the active phase of hybrid photocatalysts after treatment in low-temperature plasma of a dielectric barrier discharge. Aim of study. The paper aimed to establishing the nature of the influence of plasma treatment of Ag/ZnO hybrid photocatalysts on the optical properties and morphology of silver nanoparticles and the relationship between plasma-induced morphological changes in silver nanoparticles and the photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO in the photodegradation reactions of methyl orange and caffeine. Method. The treatment of hybrid Ag/ZnO photocatalysts and ensembles of silver nanoparticles was carried out in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma in air at normal pressure. The photocatalytic properties of the original and plasma-treated materials were studied from the point of view of their activity in the decomposition reactions of methyl orange and caffeine in aqueous solutions by ultraviolet light exposure. The concentrations of methyl orange and caffeine were measured by spectrophotometry. Changes in the properties of the original and plasma-modified materials were studied using the methods of photoluminescence spectroscopy, spectrophotometry, and atomic force microscopy. Main results. A plasma-induced decrease in the size of agglomerates of silver nanoparticles was observed. The size decrease of silver nanoparticles agglomerates was accompanied with a simultaneous increase in the number of individual nanoparticles. It was shown that the change in nanoparticles size depended on the energy of plasma treatment duration. Plasma treatment of ZnO-based hybrid photocatalysts resulted in a noticeable increase in the fluorescence lifetime of ZnO. Increase in the fluorescence lifetime can be considered as one of the factors increasing the photocatalysts activity in the reaction of photodegradation of organic pollutants in aqueous media. Practical significance. Increasing the efficiency of Ag/ZnO for purifying aqueous media from organic impurities by photodegradation is an important task in the field of effective environmental management.

Keywords:

photocatalysts, ZnO, photodegradation, plasma treatment, plasmonic nanoparticles, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime, dielectric barrier discharge

Acknowledgements:

the authors are grateful to the staff of the Center for Shared Use of Unique Scientific Equipment “Belarusian Interuniversity Center for Scientific Research Services” of the Faculty of Physics of the Belarusian State University for assistance in conducting research using atomic force microscopy, as well as to the staff of the Laboratory of Molecular Spectroscopy and Photonics of Nanostructures of the Y. Kupala State University of Grodno for assistance in conducting studies of fluorescence decay kinetics. This work was partially financially supported by the State Research Program “Convergence 2025. Task 2.2.02.” and by the Ministry of Education of Republic of Belarus (Grant № 20211534).

OCIS codes: 180.0180, 240.6680, 250.5230, 300.1030

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