Production of Zn-doped TiO2 film with enhanced photocatalytic activity

In this study, zinc (Zn)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) films were prepared using the two steps: anodic oxidation method and heat treatment process. The crystal structure, morphology and elemental composition of the Zn-doped TiO2films were investigated. These films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the TiO2films with clear, uniform and short nanopores had a high surface area and high degree of crystallinity. The results showed that the as-anodized TiO2film was successfully obtained as anatase phase at 450°C. The results of XPS analysis confirmed the presence of Zn in the lattice of TiO2as dopant, and thermal diffusion technique was successfully done as doping method. The photocatalytic performances of the Zn-doped TiO2films were evaluated in terms of their photodegradation rate of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The results revealed that the Zn-doped TiO2film had a higher photocatalytic activity in comparison with the undoped sample. This study inspired that Zn-doped TiO2films are a great potential material to treat wastewater in industrial field.