Fabrication of transition metal-doped-ZnO photocatalyst and its photocatalytic degradation properties on formaldehyde

Nano-ZnO/transition metal composites (NZTC) were prepared via sol-gel method where transition metal (Cu²⁺, Ag⁺, Co²⁺ and Ni2+) and ZnSO₄ were used as the substrate. NZTC was characterized using scanning electronic microscope (SEM), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV), fluorescence spectrophotometer (XRF), infrared spectrometer (IR), and so on. The photocatalytic degradation behaviors of nano-ZnO and NZTC for formaldehyde in gas and solution were investigated. The results indicated that nano-ZnO and NZTC could achieve the degradation of formaldehyde by photocatalytic process, and the degradation rates were up to 43.75% and 67.2% in gas and solution, respectively, thus thereby leading to good application prospects in the degradation of organic compounds.