The effect of spinning cycle on structural, optical, surface and photocatalytic properties of sol-gel derived ZnO films

Atay F., Gultepe O.

JOURNAL OF SOL-GEL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, cilt.100, sa.2, ss.299-309, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 100 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2021
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10971-021-05661-4
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF SOL-GEL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, PASCAL, Aerospace Database, Applied Science & Technology Source, Biotechnology Research Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, Computer & Applied Sciences, Metadex, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.299-309
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: ZnO, XRD, Deep traps, AFM-FESEM, Photocatalytic Degradation, THIN-FILMS, AZO-DYE, DEGRADATION, NANOPARTICLES, BORON, PERFORMANCE, ENHANCEMENT, SNO2/TIO2, ALUMINUM, NUMBER
  • Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

ZnO films are remarkable materials as photocatalysts in eliminating problems such as water, air and environmental pollution caused by industrial wastes. However, their photocatalytic activities must be increased to compete with TiO2, which is a favorite in such applications. In this study, photocatalytic performances of ZnO films were evaluated considering the crystallization level, traps that delay electron-hole recombination and adsorption of organic dye contaminants. The effect of spinning cycle (3, 4 and 5), which has been relatively less studied compared to other sol-gel parameters, on the photocatalytic performance of pure-ZnO films produced by sol-gel spin coating is reported. XRD patterns, photoluminescence spectrophotometry, AFM, FESEM and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to investigate their structural, optical and surface properties. Methylene blue was selected as organic pollutant to perform the photocatalytic measurements of ZnO films. This study revealed that the photocatalytic activities of ZnO films can be increased due to the improved optical, surface and structural properties with increasing spinning cycle.