Comparison of self-cleaning and transmittance properties between ZnO and ZnO@TiO2 core–shell nanoparticle array coating films

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Physical Society 2021, 78(7), , pp.559-565
• Main Authors: Yoo, Jeong-Yeol, Kim, Jong-Gyu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arrays; Catalytic activity; Cleaning; Contact angle; Core-shell particles; Fluorine; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Nanoparticles; Original Paper; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Photocatalysis; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Sol-gel processes; Substrates; Synthesis; Theoretical; Tin oxides; Titanium dioxide; Transmittance; Wettability; Zinc coatings; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides; 물리학
• ISSN: 0374-4884; 1976-8524
• DOI: 10.1007/s40042-021-00126-x

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate by sol–gel coating and hydrothermal method to produce a film with self-cleaning and transmittance properties. To improve hydrophilic and photocatalytic activity of the film, zinc oxide titanium dioxide (ZnO@TiO 2 ) core–shell NPs were synthesized using two different amounts of TiO 2 . The ZnO@TiO 2 array film showed better stability and transmittance than the ZnO array film. The hydrophilicity of the ZnO@TiO 2 array film was better, because its contact angle was smaller than that of ZnO array film. The wettability also increased with increasing TiO 2 concentration. In addition, the ZnO@TiO 2 core–shell NP array FTO film exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity in comparison with the ZnO array film. This study demonstrates that the ZnO@TiO 2 core–shell NPs array FTO film is more useful due to its self-cleaning and transmittance properties.