The effect of surface area on the photo-catalytic behavior of ZrO2/carbon clusters composite materials

Nano-sized ZrO2/carbon clusters composite materials were successfully prepared by the calcination of a ZrOCl2/starch complex under an argon atmosphere. The obtained composite material was pulverized at 500 °C to obtain powdered materials. The photo-catalytic abilities of the pulverized materials increased with the increase of their surface areas. The visible light induced photo-catalytic activities of the Pt loaded composite materials were also examined.