Titanium Dioxide Films for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange Dye

Abstract

The aim of this work was to characterize and evaluate the influence of the thickness on the photocatalytic efficiency of titanium dioxide thin films on the degradation of methyl orange dye under UV light irradiation. The films of 280 and 468 nm thick were deposited on borosilicate substrates at 400°C by the MOCVD technique using titanium isoprox ide IV as precursor. XRD analyses showed the formation of anatase-TiO 2 phase. Cross- sectional FE-SEM images show that the films presented a dense columnar structure and grown perpendicularly to the substrate surface. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts was studied using UV-vis spectrophotometry The TiO 2 film with 468 nm of thickness presented higher photocatalytic activity exhibiting 69% of dye degradation. The increase of grain size and thickness of the films promoted an improvement of pho tocatalytic efficiency.