One‐step deposition of nano‐Ag‐TiO₂ coatings by atmospheric pressure plasma jet for water treatment: Application to trace pharmaceutical removal using solar photocatalysis

Abstract

In this study, micrometer thick Ag‐TiO2 coatings were deposited in a single and facile step by spraying the precursor in an atmospheric pressure plasma jet with different concentrations of Ag nanoparticles. The homogenous distribution of Ag decreased the TiO 2 crystal size and increased the surface area. The coatings were characterized to be porous with an anatase phase with improved charge separation and visible light absorption. The photocatalytic activity of the materials was investigated for degrading rhodamine B using a white lamp as a screening method to optimize Ag‐TiO 2 coatings. Then the photodegradation of trace pharmaceutical compounds (TrPCs) was investigated by using a solar light simulator at the optimal condition of a TiO 2 coating with 0.4wt% Ag.

Insights into the low‐temperature deposition of a dense anatase TiO2 film via an atmospheric pressure pulse‐modulated plasma

“…Considering that the calculated thin-film lengths using Equation (2) are in good agreement with the experimental data as shown in Figure 2, and the dusty cloud trapped by the plasma sheath, we performed a reasonable thin-film deposition process of atmospheric pressure pulse-modulated plasma (Figure 8). During plasma on, the TiO 2 particles are trapped by the plasma sheath, and they "drop" on the substrate when the plasma is off.…”

“…Anatase TiO 2 films have been well studied for their applications in electronic devices, [1] photocatalysts, [2,3] and solar cell development. [4,5] Lowtemperature, fast deposition of anatase TiO 2 films with a low cost will broaden applications such as flexible solar cells [6] and flexible sensors.…”

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Deposition of TiO2: A Review

“…Using this method, large photocatalytic activities were measured for coating from solutions with 0.3% and 0.4% Ag concentrations in TTIP. In this study, the authors concluded that pulse frequencies had a negligible effect on Rh.B degradation, whereas lower air flow rates induced a faster kinetics because such conditions caused higher crystallinity of the coating [112]. In general, the high porosity of APPJ-grown films was attributed to the high deposition rate and high kinetic energy of the reactive plasma species (i.e., radicals) generated and carried in the plasma jet.…”

“…On the other hand, the PEC responses were superior for rf magnetron-sputtered deposited film [ 16 ]. Similarly, Rh.B was used to investigate the photocatalytic activity of nano-Ag–TiO 2 coatings deposited by APPJ ( Figure 9 ) [ 112 ]. By combining the APPJ with a spraying system, high deposition rates were achieved in the range of 10–20 μm/s.…”

“…Using this method, large photocatalytic activities were measured for coating from solutions with 0.3% and 0.4% Ag concentrations in TTIP. In this study, the authors concluded that pulse frequencies had a negligible effect on Rh.B degradation, whereas lower air flow rates induced a faster kinetics because such conditions caused higher crystallinity of the coating [ 112 ].…”