Influence of pyrolytic Seeds on ZnO nanorods growth onto rigid substrates for photocatalytic disinfection of water

LUIS SÁNCHES; LUCAS GUZ; PILAR GARCIA; SILVIA PONCE; SILVIA GOYANES; MARIA CLAUDIA MARCHI; ROBERTO CANDAL

Recife

Congreso; . 7o Encontro sobre Aplicações Ambientais de Processos Oxidativos Avançados; 1º Congresso Iberoamericano de Processos Oxidativos Avançados; 2013

ZnO nanorods were grown onto conductive transparent substrates at low temperatures (90oC) from Zn2+ precursors in alkaline media previously seeded with ZnO nanoparticles. Seeds were deposited onto the substrate heated at 350oC by spray pyrolysis of a Zn acetate solution in a water ethanol mixture. The structure of seeds was tuned by the ethanol water ratio,, which controls the solvent evaporation rate of drops impinging the substrate. The rods have a hexagonal cross section varying from deposition conditions. Using these rods, the photocatalytic degradation of Escherichia coli bacteria in water was studied; a positive influence of the surface area and crystalline growth on the degradation rate was observed.