Ceramic tiles coated with Zr‐Ag co‐doped TiO₂ thin film for indoor air purifying and antimicrobial applications

Abstract

In this study, Zr-Ag co-doped TiO 2 (ZAT) photocatalyst films having varied numbers of layers (1, 2, 3, and 4) have been developed to coat on ceramic tile substrates by sol-gel spin coating technique. The specimens were tested to determine antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and the capability to degrade gaseous formaldehyde under visible light. X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet and visible absorption spectroscopy, water contact angle, and scanning electron microscopy were applied to characterize the structural and morphological properties of the samples. The photocatalytic reactivity of the nanocomposite films was investigated by the decolorization of methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the two-layer ZAT photocatalyst film on ceramic tile exhibited the highest photocatalytic decolorization of MB, with 60.36% efficiency. The ZAT tile had formaldehyde degradation efficiency up to 32.74% within only 6 h under visible light irradiation, higher than that of the bare ceramic tile (4.90%). Additionally, the ZAT thin films could enhance anti-E. coli activity and could be capable of degrading air pollution.

Visible light induced self‐cleaning performance of iron‐doped TiO2 nanoparticles for surface applications

“…[6][7][8] These properties provide unique solutions to various technological problems. Nano-TiO 2 has been widely used for the last two decades as a water and air purifier, 9,10 selfcleaning, 11,12 antibacterial, 13,14 and hydrophilic glass and ceramic surfaces. 15 A large number of studies have been conducted to exploit the photocatalytic properties of TiO 2 as a self-cleaning agent since Fujishima and Honda 16 first discovered photocatalytic water splitting on TiO 2 electrodes under ultraviolet (UV) light.…”