Preparation of Al-doped ZnO nanocrystalline aggregates with enhanced performance for dye adsorption

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanocrystalline aggregates (NCAs) were prepared by a low cost colloid chemistry method and effects of the Al-doped concentration on the morphological and structural properties of the AZO NCAs were studied. The dye adsorption ability of the AZO NCAs with various Al-doped concentrations was also investigated. Results indicate that the doping of the Al ions not only does not change the wurtzite structure of the ZnO crystal but also can reduce the crystallite grain size and the particle size distribution of the NCAs, which gives them a higher specific surface area and dye adsorption ability than that of the ZnO NCAs. The as-prepared AZO NCAs would be a promising material to be applied in the dye sensitized solar cells and water treatment.