Deployment of the one-step solvothermal method to synthesize high-performance ZnO nanorods in photocatalytic NO degradation: A novel investigation

[Display omitted] •First investigation of ZnO NRs for photocatalytic NO degradation via solvothermal method.•ZnO NRs possessed the superior performance in photocatalytic NO degradation.•High aspect ratio and the existence of oxygen defects were revealed to improve the photocatalytic efficiency.•This work provides a thorough understanding of the photocatalytic mechanism of ZnO NRs. Nowadays, photocatalysis has attracted much attention due to its ability to degrade NO at low concentrations, combined with a cheap, sustainable, and environmentally friendly process. Recent studies highlights zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) may be applied as potential photocatalysts due to their efficient charge transport, and high performance. In this study, a high surface area of ZnO NRs was achieved via a one-step solvothermal method with control of reaction time and temperature. Additionally, the synthesized ZnO NRs was deployed to comprehensively evaluate the photocatalytic activity of NO degradation. The results indicated that the synthesized ZnO NRs at 100 °C for 6 hours exhibited the most favorable performance in term of photocatalytic NO degradation (78.8% under solar light and 62.2 % under visible light), along with low toxicity (DeNOx index of 268.4). The improved photocatalytic efficiency of these samples can be attributed to their high aspect ratio and the presence of oxygen defects, which effectively capture and impede the recombination of photogenerated electrons. Furthermore, the ZnO NRs possess high stability under visible light irradiation, experiencing only an 8.7 % reduction after five reuses. Finally, trapping experiments and ESR analysis were used to explore the mechanism of the photocatalytic NO degradation reaction.