Investigation on the structural, morphological and photochemical properties of spin-coated TiO2 and ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel method

Abstract

In this study, TiO₂ and ZnO nanofilms were prepared by sol-gel spin-coating method. Nanofilms were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-ray (EDX), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-ESM). Structural and morphological properties of nanofilms were investigated. The average crystalline size of TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles which were obtained from the ignition of sols were obtained 80 and 50 nm, respectively. The morphological properties of nanofilms showed that the TiO₂/ZnO nanocomposite film was strongly related to the steps of coating. Also, photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue on the surface of these nanofilms under UV light irradiation was studied and results were compared to each other.