Sol–gel spin coating technique was used to deposit thin films of ZnO, SnO₂, and ZnO/SnO₂ on a borosilicate glass substrate. The films were characterized using XRD, FESEM, EDX, HRTEM, AFM, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, and contact angle meter. X-ray diffraction confirms the presence of both hexagonal wurtzite and tetragonal phase of ZnO and SnO₂ respectively in ZnO/SnO₂. Wettability studies reveal that ZnO/SnO₂ film is superhydrophilic with water contact angle of 3.4°. The photocatalytic performance of the films is evaluated by measuring the degradation of an aqueous solution of methylene blue, methyl orange, and their mixture. The degradation of stearic acid adsorbed on the film’s surface is measured by tracking the water contact angle after UV irradiation as a function of time. The excellent photocatalytic activity of ZnO/SnO₂ thin films is attributed to formation of type-II heterostructure between ZnO and SnO₂, which inhibits the charge recombination between photogenerated electrons and holes. The ZnO/SnO₂ shows good photocatalytic activity after five recycling runs. ZnO/SnO₂ thin films being excellent photocatalyst along with its superhydrophilic nature will have potential application in self-cleaning and antifogging.

Open image in new window

溶胶-凝胶旋涂技术用于在硼硅酸盐玻璃基板上沉积ZnO，SnO ₂和ZnO / SnO ₂薄膜。使用XRD，FESEM，EDX，HRTEM，AFM，UV-Vis分光光度计和接触角仪对膜进行表征。X射线衍射证实了ZnO / SnO _2中分别存在ZnO和SnO _2的六方纤锌矿和四方相。润湿性研究表明ZnO / SnO ₂该膜是超亲水的，与水的接触角为3.4°。通过测量亚甲基蓝，甲基橙及其混合物的水溶液的降解来评估膜的光催化性能。通过追踪紫外线照射后的水接触角随时间的变化，可以测量薄膜表面吸附的硬脂酸的降解程度。ZnO / SnO ₂薄膜的优异光催化活性归因于ZnO和SnO ₂之间形成II型异质结构，从而抑制了光生电子与空穴之间的电荷复合。ZnO / SnO ₂在五次循环运行后显示出良好的光催化活性。ZnO / SnO ₂ 薄膜是优异的光催化剂，具有超亲水性，在自清洁和防雾方面具有潜在的应用前景。

在新窗口中打开图像