Rapid photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet dye over ZnO flower nanomaterials

A simple solution method was employed for the direct synthesis of ZnO-flowers using zinc acetate precursor in basic medium and utilized as photocatalyst for the degradation of crystal violet (Cv) dye. Each ZnO-flower was comprised of well-defined petals with the average length of ∼300±50 nm. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO-flowers was elucidated towards the degradation of Cv-dye under light illumination. The as-synthesized ZnO-flowers showed very fast degradation of Cv-dye with the degradation rate of ∼96% within the time interval of 80 min. Mineralization of the dye was extensively described by investigating the mass spectroscopy of the dye before and after the photocatalytic reaction.