Growth and photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanosheets stabilized by Ag nanoparticles

The Ag nanoparticles-stabilized ZnO nanosheets were prepared using a liquid-liquid two-phase method with (n-Dodecyl)trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) as a phase transfer agent at the room temperature. The silver nanoparticles which are conductors with the character of attracting energy can make the ZnO sheets stabilize under the higher energy electrons. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and fluorescence. The results demonstrate that the silver nanoparticles load on the surface of ZnO sheets and make the ZnO sheets stabilize. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of ZnO sheets stabilized by silver nanoparticles was also proposed and discussed in detail. Moreover, the photocatalysis test shows that the ZnO sheets stabilized by silver nanoparticles exhibit a higher photocatalytic activity than the pure ZnO nanosheets, thereby implying that the Ag/ZnO interfaces promote the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and enhance the photocatalytic activity.