Synthesis of ZnSe/ZnO Nanobelts for Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

ZnSe/ZnO nanobelts on Zn substrate are successfully fabricated through a simple hydrothermal treatment of the precursor ZnSe(en)_0.5 (en = ethylenediamine) nanobelts. Their structures and optical properties are characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL). Their possible formation mechanism is proposed, and their photocatalytic activity is studied. They have shown superior activity in photodegradation of organic pollutant rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution under visible light irradiation over pure ZnSe nanobelts. Their remarkable activity is attributed to fast separation and transport of photogenerated electron–hole pairs in the ZnSe/ZnO heterostructure. In addition, ZnSe/ZnO nanobelts have a good photocatalytic stability during the oxidation of the pollutant molecules.