Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine 6G (R6G) using ZnO–Ag nanoparticles synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL)

Photocatalytic degradation is developing rapidly due to its simple and low-cost process, which results in effective and complete mineralization with no waste disposal problems. In this work, we report the enhancement of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) photocatalytic degradation by applying silver (Ag) nanoparticles on a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle structure using a pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique. The unique structure was obtained without applying any chemical substance and the Ag concentration was varied by changing the Ag target ablation time from 1 to 5 min. Generally, the inclusion of Ag increased the photocatalytic ability of ZnO and facilitated a higher degradation rate of R6G than pure ZnO. The generation of hydroxyl radical (OH^•) was found as the main oxidative pathway, which led to R6G degradation by cleaving the chromophore structure. The kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation reaction was also carried out in this work. This research showed the great potential of a hybrid nanomaterial, developed through a laser ablation technique, for environmental protections.