Sol-Gel Synthesis of TiO_<b>2</b>/SiO_<b>2</b> and ZnO/SiO_<b>2</b> Composite Films and Evaluation of Their Photocatalytic Activity towards Methyl Green

Abstract

The TiO 2 /SiO 2 and ZnO/SiO 2 composite films were prepared by sol-gel dip coating method. The surface morphology and crystal structure of thin films were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elementary dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Optical properties of films have been investigated using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV-visible spectroscopy). The photocatalytic activity was established by testing the degradation and decolorization of methyl green (MG) from aqueous solution with artificial UV-light.