Comparative Study on pH-Dependent Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol using ZnO-Based Photocatalyst 


Vol. 70,  No. 1, pp. 9-14, Feb.  2026
10.5012/jkcs.2026.70.1.9


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  Abstract

The photo-Fenton-like degradation of pollutants is dependent on the pH of solution. Here, we synthesized pristine ZnO nanorods, silver nanoparticle (AgNPs), and Ag-decorated ZnO (Ag/ZnO) composites. These materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. Their catalytic activities were evaluated for the photo-Fenton-like degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) under visible-light irradiation at pH 4 and 7. Pristine ZnO nanorods exhibited higher catalytic activity than the Ag/ZnO composite at pH 4, while this trend reversed at pH 7. This pH-dependent reversal is attributed to the interplay between the catalyst's surface charge and the speciation of 4-NP into its phenolate form. These findings demonstrate that the key factor for enhanced photocatalytic performance is not the noble metal decoration itself, but rather the interfacial charge and dominant reactive species.

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  Cite this article

[IEEE Style]

E. Jo, I. Ham, H. Choi, "Comparative Study on pH-Dependent Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol using ZnO-Based Photocatalyst," Journal of the Korean Chemical Society, vol. 70, no. 1, pp. 9-14, 2026. DOI: 10.5012/jkcs.2026.70.1.9.

[ACM Style]

Eungyu Jo, Inseok Ham, and Han-Kyu Choi. 2026. Comparative Study on pH-Dependent Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol using ZnO-Based Photocatalyst. Journal of the Korean Chemical Society, 70, 1, (2026), 9-14. DOI: 10.5012/jkcs.2026.70.1.9.

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ISSN(Print) 1017-2548
ISSN(Online) 2234-8530