Deposition and Photocatalytic Activity of Ag:V2O5 Thin Films

In this work, the deposition and photocatalytic response of V2O5 thin films modified with different amounts of Ag (Ag:V2O5) is reported. Films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates (100), using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. A high purity vanadium target, with a different number of silver pellets attached on it were used. Thin films were characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to determine the elemental chemical composition; structural changes due to the addition of Ag were monitored by Raman spectroscopy; Optical microscopy was used to observe the surface morphology and UV-Vis spectroscopy was employed to determine optical properties. Photocatalytic response of the prepared films was studied through the degradation of a malachite green solution using a solar irradiation source.