ZnO-Loaded Ion Exchange Resin Composites: Preparation, Characterization and Photocatalytic Application.

Using macroporous cation exchange resin as the donor of exchangeable ions and carrier of products, ZnO@IER (namely, zinc oxide [ZnO]-loaded ion exchange resin) composites were successfully synthesized through the constant temperature oscillation and hydrothermal method. Scanning electron microscope results show that the gullies on the surface of D113 resin were inlaid with granular ZnO product and the size was <200 nm; D072 resin had a smooth surface structure, and when the hydrothermal time was 2 or 3 h, a perfect ZnO product with hexagonal structure could be obtained with side length of about 2–2.5 μm and thickness of hundreds of nanometers. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction characterization fully confirmed the existence of ZnO in the composite. In addition, ZnO@D072IER-2h had a significant degradation effect on methylene blue solution, and the photocatalytic degradation rate reached 92.5% within 200 min. The photocatalytic degradation of ZnO@IER composites for the methylene blue solution was due to superposition of photocatalytic effects of ion exchange resin and ZnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]