Dataset and figures for "Enhancing the Photo-corrosion Resistance of ZnO Nanowire Photocatalysts"

Zinc oxide (ZnO) displays superior properties as a photocatalyst for water treatment compared to widely used TiO2. More widespread application of ZnO, though, is hampered by its low stability and high photo-corrosion in aqueous environments, with the latter further enhanced under UV irradiation. The paper associated with this dataset, "Enhancing the Photo-corrosion Resistance of ZnO Nanowire Photocatalysts", shows for the first time that oxygen plasma post-treatment significantly enhances the photo-corrosion resistance of ZnO nanowire films in water under UV irradiation, while also leading to a 46% and 13% higher degradation of a model pollutant, phenol, compared to the as-produced and thermally annealed films, respectively, for the same irradiation time. This dataset contains the photodegradation and phenol calibration data underpinning these results, alongside measurements of Zn concentration in the solution after photocatalysis, X-ray diffraction data, hydrodynamics calculations, and Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy (TEM/SEM) images.