Large-Scale Preparation, Chemical Exfoliation, and Structural Modification of Layered Zinc Hydroxide Nanocones: Transformation into Zinc Oxide Nanocones for Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties

摘要

A convenient and effective water-bath method is developed for the preparation of layered zinc hydroxide nanocones (NCs) intercalated with dodecyl sulfate (C₁₂H₂₅OSO₃–, DS–) anions in large quantities. Furthermore, the morphology, size, and crystal structure of products could also be readily tuned by adjusting the experimental parameters. In particular, unilamellar zinc hydroxide nanosheets with a thickness of approximately 0.9 nm could be achieved by exfoliating the layered zinc hydroxide NCs in the formamide–water mixed solution. It is worth mentioning that layered zinc hydroxide NCs could be topologically converted to basic zinc sulfates (Zn₄SO₄(OH)₆·5H₂O, Osaka mine) and zinc oxide (ZnO) NCs through a calcination process at different temperatures. Benefitting from a special structure, narrow bandgap, and higher surface area, the photodegradation behavior of ZnO NCs for methylene blue (MB) solution is better than that of ZnO nanorods.]]>