Production of Zn-doped TiO2 film with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Abstract

In this study, zinc (Zn)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) films were prepared using the two steps: anodic oxidation method and heat treatment process. The crystal structure, morphology and elemental composition of the Zn-doped TiO₂ films were investigated. These films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the TiO₂ films with clear, uniform and short nanopores had a high surface area and high degree of crystallinity. The results showed that the as-anodized TiO₂ film was successfully obtained as anatase phase at 450 °C. The results of XPS analysis confirmed the presence of Zn in the lattice of TiO₂ as dopant, and thermal diffusion technique was successfully done as doping method. The photocatalytic performances of the Zn-doped TiO₂ films were evaluated in terms of their photodegradation rate of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The results revealed that the Zn-doped TiO₂ film had a higher photocatalytic activity in comparison with the undoped sample. This study inspired that Zn-doped TiO₂ films are a great potential material to treat wastewater in industrial field.