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Mesostructured ZnO/Au nanoparticle composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity
Carina Bojer, Judith Schobel, Thomas Martin, Thomas Lunkenbein, Daniel R. Wagner, Andreas Greiner, Josef Breu, Holger Schmalz
Polymer 2017, 128, 65-70.

Ease of catalyst separation from reaction mixtures represents a significant advantage in heterogeneous photocatalytic wastewater treatment. However, the activity of the catalyst strongly depends on its surface-to-volume ratio. Here, we present an approach based on cylindrical polybutadiene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) polymer brushes as template, which can be simultaneously loaded with zinc oxide (ZnO) and gold (Au) nanoparticles. Pyrolytic template removal of the polymer yields in mesostructured ZnO/Au composites, showing higher efficiencies in the photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin (generic antibiotics present in clinical wastewater) as compared to neat mesostructured ZnO. Upscaling of the presented catalyst is straightforward promising high technical relevance.