Preparation of ZnO@TiO₂nanotubes heterostructured film by thermal decomposition and their photocatalytic performances

Abstract

a TiO 2 nanotubes (NTs) arrays prepared by anodic oxidation were modified with ZnO particles and their morphology and photocatalytic properties were investigated. A simple thermal decomposition process was involved in the modification method. Zinc acetate solution was filled into the TiO 2 NTs arrays, and ZnO@TiO 2 heterojunction films were formed after the thermal treatment. The morphology and catalytic properties of the heterojunction films could be manipulated by the concentration of zinc acetate solution. Compared to TiO 2 NTs arrays, the ZnO@TiO 2 heterojunction films with an optimized concentration of zinc acetate showed enhanced catalytic performances. Their photocatalytic activities were discussed with respect to the formation of ZnO@TiO 2 heterojunctions and enforced charge separation. This study demonstrates a simple method to prepare ZnO nanoparticles@TiO 2 NT heterojunction films, which is promising for other environmental and energy related applications.

Electrochemical formation of novel TiO2-ZnO hybrid nanostructures for photoelectrochemical water splitting applications

“…Several works synthesised the hybrid nanostructures in a two-step process: first the TiO 2 nanostructures are formed by electrochemical anodisation and then, a subsequent electrodeposition of ZnO is carried out. Electrodeposition is usually performed using zinc acetate [22,23] or zinc nitrate electrolytes [19,[24][25][26] with addition of ethanol and/or temperatures of the order of 65 ºC or higher. Nevertheless, we did not find in the literature any work which synthesised hybrid TiO 2 -ZnO nanostructures by titanium anodisation under hydrodynamic conditions (it was demonstrated in a previous work that hydrodynamic conditions improved the photocatalytic response of the nanostructures [11]) and subsequent ZnO electrodeposition without heating and/or the addition of ethanol.…”

Original Approach to Synthesize TiO2/ZnO Hybrid Nanosponges Used as Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Applications

“…One of the most negative aspects of using TiO 2 as photocatalyst is that it has a wide band gap (3.2 eV for anatase phase, λ = 390 nm), which limits its photocatalytic applications to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation [ 6 ]. There are different options to solve this problem such as doping TiO 2 nanostructures with noble metals [ 10 , 15 ], inserting ions in the TiO 2 lattice [ 13 , 16 ], using microporous materials [ 17 ], and synthesizing hybrid nanostructures [ 18 , 19 ]. Among all these solutions, the most studied option is doping TiO 2 with noble metals.…”

“…ZnO incorporation into TiO 2 nanostructures can be carried out using different techniques such as hydrothermal method [ 18 , 25 , 30 ], atomic layer deposition [ 22 ], and sol-gel method [ 31 , 32 ]. The main problem of these methodologies is that they use severe conditions such as high temperatures, low pressures, or long times.…”

Fabrication of BiOCl/ZnO/CN Nanocomposite for Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Dyes

“…Photocatalytic technology based on semiconductors has revealed high efficacy for the degradation of lethal contaminants . Commonly used metal oxides; for example TiO 2 , ZnO, Cu 2 O, WO 3 V 2 O 5 and Ga 2 O 3 have been explored for photocatalytic water decontamination . Amongst numerous semiconductors, ZnO has been enticing worldwide desirability due to its suitable optical, electronic properties (band gap=3.35 eV), cheap, efficient photocatalytic activity and chemical stability.…”