Immobilized ZnO based nanostructures and their environmental applications

In the research of semiconductor metal oxides, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterials have been committed to design and exploration because of their unique physical and chemical properties. ZnO has many structural characteristics and has considerable practical applications in the field of environmental technology. However, ZnO nanomaterials used for environmental functions are often presented in the form of powders. After use, they need to go through recovery processes such as centrifugation and filtration, which is also easy to cause secondary pollution. The above problems can be avoided by fixing ZnO nanostructures on substrates to form easily movable materials. Here, we present a review of our work and some others on the different synthetic strategies, formation mechanism, modification, performance and diversifications of immobilized ZnO based nanostructures, and highlight their photocatalytic related activities for environmental remediation. Various immobilized ZnO based nanostructures including nanorod arrays, 3D nanostructures, and composite heterostructures have been focused. We hope it may serve as a useful reference for researchers interested in immobilized semiconductor nanostructures and their photocatalysis and other environmental applications.