Photocatalytic Activity and Photodegradation Rate Constant of Au-TiO2 Nanofilms by Magnetron Sputtering

Au-TiO₂ nanofilms were prepared on indium-tin oxide glass by magnetron sputtering. The growth of well-aligned Au/TiO₂ nanofilms arrays by magnetron sputtering was presented for the first time. The Au/TiO₂ nanofilms were grown on the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared Au-TiO₂ nanofilms in an aqueous solution of methylene blue (MB) was evaluated under the irradiation of visible-light. The experimental results show that the use of Au in TiO₂ nanofilms improves photocatalytic activity of the MB organic compound significantly in the aqueous solution under the irradiation of visible light, and the photodegradation rate constants of the prepared Au/TiO₂ nanofilms for the photodegradation of MB are larger than that of pure TiO₂ nanofilms.