Preparation and characterization of the polycrystalline material Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2. Determination of the active species in oxide-reduction processes

Abstract The aim of this work is study the optical, structural, textural and morphological properties of hydrozincite (Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2). The semiconductor has been employed as photocatalytic support and has proved to be active in both oxidation and reduction processes. In this work is demonstrated that the photocatalytic activity of the bare material can be improved at suitable experimental conditions. The photocatalytic activity of hydrozincite was assessed in phenol oxidation and H2 production. The mineralization percentage of phenol at 6 h was 40% while the highest rate constant of H2 production was 2326 μmol g−1h−1. TEM studies point to the high photocatalytic performance of hydrozincite in oxide-reduction processes is principally attributed to the formation of a polycrystalline material. Additionally, the active species participating in oxide-reduction reactions were followed ( OH, O 2 - , h+) by fluorescence and UV–Vis spectroscopy.