Solar Photocatalytic Activity of Ba-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles: The Role of Surface Hydrophilicity

Bare zinc oxide (ZnO) and Ba-doped ZnO (BZO) samples were prepared by using a simple precipitation method. The effects of Barium doping on the structural, morphological, and optoelectronic properties, as well as on the physico-chemical features of the surface were investigated and correlated with the observed photocatalytic activity under natural solar irradiation. The incorporation of Ba(2+) ions into the ZnO structure increased the surface area by ca. 14 times and enhanced the hydrophilicity with respect to the bare sample, as demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. The surface hydrophilicity was correlated with the enhanced defectivity of the doped sample, as indicated by X-ray diffraction, Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopies. The resulting higher affinity with water was, for the first time, invoked as an important factor justifying the superior photocatalytic performance of BZO compared to the undoped one, in addition to the slightly higher separation of the photoproduced pairs, an effect that has already been reported in literature. In particular, observed kinetic constants values of 8∙10(−3) and 11.3∙10(−3) min(−1) were determined for the ZnO and BZO samples, respectively, by assuming first order kinetics. Importantly, Ba doping suppressed photocorrosion and increased the stability of the BZO sample under irradiation, making it a promising photocatalyst for the abatement of toxic species.