Photodegradation of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals by ZnO Nanorod Arrays

Abstract

ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) were synthesized via magnetron sputtering and a low temperature aqueous solution growth in a short period time. The morphology and crystal structure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The ZnO NRAs were applied to conduct photo degradation of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and bisphenol A (BPA). The results indicate that ZnO NRAs exhibited different performances in dealing with various EDCs but do not have selectivity for a multicomponent mixture.

Keywords:

• ZnO
• nanorod arrays
• photocatalysis
• endocrine disrupting chemicals

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully appreciate the assistance from the staff members in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and the Research Centre for Surface and Materials Science at the University of Auckland. The authors would also like to thank research group members for their support, especially Dr. Jie Han.