Synthesis of an Ag-ZnO nanocomposite catalyst for visible light-assisted degradation of a textile dye in aqueous solution

The photocatalytic activity of silver-deposited ZnO in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) was investigated. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the silver-deposited ZnO had a visible light plasmon absorption band. The photocatalytic degradation experiment revealed that the catalytic efficiency of the Ag-ZnO composite in the degradation of MO was greater than that of pure ZnO samples. This study shows that the degradation process is dominated by the Ag-ZnO photocatalytic system, complying with a pseudo-first-order rate law. Under the experimental conditions, approximately 65.0% dye removal was achieved within 100 min.