Controlled loading of gold nanoparticles on ZnO nanorods and their high photocatalytic activity

This paper described the fabrication of one-dimensional ZnO/Au nanohybrids via molecule-directed controllable assembly method. Tunable optical absorption property and reduced PL intensity were observed in the corresponding spectra of as-prepared ZnO/Au nancomposites. Owing to unique interphase boundaries and synergetic effect between ZnO nanorods and Au nanoparticles, these ZOO/Au nanoassemblies showed significantly improved photocatalytic activity toward dye photo-removal reaction in comparision with pure ZnO components, which holds promise for applications in water purification and environmental remediation. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.