Kim, Ki-JoongKreider, PeterAhn, Ho-GeunChang, Chih-Hung2023-12-132023-12-132072-666Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/309864Noble metal/metal oxide nanostructures are an efficient system in photocatalysis. Continuous and scalable production of advanced particle systems will be a requirement for commercial-scale deployment for many applications, including photocatalysis. In this work, Au/ZnO structures were synthesized in a continuous flow micro-reactor at room temperature and the detailed characteristics of the product indicate a specific cotton ball-like core-shell microstructure that showcases specific advantages compared to traditional batch synthesis methods. The formation pathway of the core-shell Au/ZnO structures is discussed with the pH-dependent speciation diagram, and photocatalytic activity was assessed under simulated sunlight, demonstrating the enhanced performance of the cotton ball-like Au/ZnO microstructures in photocatalytic dye degradation. This work describes the application of microreaction technology in the continuous production of metal/metal oxide photocatalysts.This work was financially supported by the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) and Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies (BEST) center. The authors would like to thank Changho Choi for his help with the experimental apparatus set-up and speciation diagram of precursor solutions. The authors also thank Paravee Vas-Umnuay for her help with the solar simulator set-up. We are thankful to Stephen Golledge at CAMCOR, University of Oregon, for his valuable assistance in obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting XPS and TOF-SIMS data.application/pdfen-AU© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.201810.3390/mi90703222022-09-04