Rapid microwave hydrothermal synthesis of GaOOH nanorods with photocatalytic activity toward aromatic compounds

GaOOH nanorods were synthesized from Ga(NO(3))(3) via a facile microwave hydrothermal method. The obtained sample was characterized by x-ray diffraction, N(2) sorption-desorption, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron spin resonance, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed that the as-synthesized sample was consisted of rod-like particles. It possessed a surface area of 14.3 m(2) g(-1), and a band gap of 4.75 eV. The photocatalytic property of GaOOH nanorods was evaluated by the degradation of aromatic compounds (such as benzene and toluene) in an O(2) gas stream under ultraviolet (UV) light illumination. The results demonstrated that GaOOH nanorods exhibited superior photocatalytic activity and stability as compared to commercial TiO(2) (P25, Degussa Co.) in both benzene and toluene degradation. In the extended (35 h) reaction test toward benzene, GaOOH maintained a high activity, and no obvious deactivation was observed. A possible mechanism of the photocatalysis over GaOOH is proposed.