Phthalocyanine-sensitized hollow ZnO spheres as an efficient visiblie-light photocatalyst for water treatment

A novel phthalocyanine-sensitized hollow ZnO spheres as an efficient visiblie-light photocatalyst had been prepared successfully. Firstly, a unique hollow ZnO microsphere had been prepared by a facile solvothermal method followed by calcination. Secondly, zinc-tetracarboxyl-phthalocyanine (Pc) impregnated onto the surface of hollow ZnO microsphere. The obtained photocatalyst Pc/ZnO was characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS. The hollow Pc/ZnO hierarchical nanostructure improved the electron-hole separation more effectively and Pc loaded on the surface of ZnO microsphere to enhance photocatalytic activity under visible light. In our photocatalytic experiments, the hollow Pc/ZnO microsphere showed excellent photocatalytic performance under visible light for the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB). As a result, our work provided an effective and green photocatalyst for water treatment.