Hybrid poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanomesh/ZnO nanorod p-n junction visible photocatalyst for efficient indoor air purification

Abstract We introduce a hybrid visible photocatalyst using an organic and inorganic p-n junction, which is formed by a self-assembled poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanomesh (NM) as a p-type semiconductor and a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod (NR) as an n-type semiconductor for indoor air purification. The self-grown P3HT nanofibrils form the hybrid NM p-n junction on the surface of the ZnO NR, which absorbs visible light, separates photo-generated electron-hole pairs, and forms numerous redox sites. Based on these three functions, the hybrid catalyst can effectively decompose pollutants under visible light illumination. Here, 80% of Rhodamine 6G was decomposed using the hybrid visible catalyst within 30 min, which is 33% higher than that of a catalyst without the NM structure. Moreover, the P3HT NM of the hybrid catalyst showed excellent chemical stability for washing with various organic solvents and durability during 20 photocatalytic cycles. Finally, we successfully created an artificial flower with the hybrid catalyst as an air purifier to eliminate acetyl acetate, which is a representative volatile organic compound responsible for the sick building syndrome, under illumination from a 30 W fluorescent lamp.