Effects of RF Power on the Optical Properties of ZnO/TiO2 Nanocomposites Prepared by RF Magnetron Sputtering and Solution-Immersion Method

Nanocomposites of ZnO/TiO2 were fabricated by two methods. Firstly, deposition of TiO2 nanoparticles by Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Secondly, growths of ZnO nanostructures on the TiO2 nanoparticles by solution-immersion method with aqueous solution of Zinc nitrate hexahydrate as precursor solution and stabilizer hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) in water as solvent. The optical properties of ZnO/TiO2 nanocomposites were examined by Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. UV-vis spectra of ZnO/TiO2 nanocomposites display high absorption in the UV region and high transparency in the visible region. There is improvement in UV absorption for ZnO/TiO2 nanocomposites compared to pure TiO2 due to imperfect alignment of ZnO nanostructures. Raman analysis shows the presence of wurtzite hexagonal ZnO in all the films and presence of anatase structure of TiO2 in the film deposited at 200 W. PL spectra of the films show the emissions in the UV and visible regions. Intensity of PL emission in UV region (λ< 400 nm) is maximum for film deposited at 200 W and minimum for film deposited at 300 W resulting from the change in the surface state density. A broad peak from ~ 600-700 nm also was found for all the films.

[1]  M. Rusop,et al.  Effect of RF Power on Optimization of Titanium Dioxide Nanostructures by RF Magnetron Sputtering , 2013 .

[2]  M. Habibi,et al.  Titania/zinc oxide nanocomposite coatings on glass or quartz substrate for photocatalytic degradation of direct blue 71 , 2012 .

[3]  M. Rusop,et al.  Characterization of ZnO and ZnO: TiO2 thin films prepared by sol-gel spray-spin coating technique , 2012 .

[4]  Mohamad Hafiz Mamat,et al.  Fabrication of ultraviolet photoconductive sensor using a novel aluminium-doped zinc oxide nanorod–nanoflake network thin film prepared via ultrasonic-assisted sol–gel and immersion methods , 2011 .

[5]  V. Ramakrishnan,et al.  Effect of RF power and sputtering pressure on the structural and optical properties of TiO2 thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering , 2011 .

[6]  H. Demir,et al.  Photocatalytic hybrid nanocomposites of metal oxide nanoparticles enhanced towards the visible spectral range , 2011 .

[7]  Muzafar A. Kanjwal,et al.  Photocatalytic activity of ZnO-TiO2 hierarchical nanostructure prepared by combined electrospinning and hydrothermal techniques , 2010 .

[8]  S. Zerkout,et al.  Preparation and characterization of ZnO nanorods grown into aligned TiO 2 nanotube array , 2010 .

[9]  H. A. Rafaie,et al.  Growth Pattern of Zinc Oxide Nanorods on Gold Coated Silicon Surfaces , 2009 .

[10]  Norbani Abdullah.  Photoluminescence and Structural Properties of Gold-Assisted Zinc Oxide Nanorods , 2009 .

[11]  Li Wang,et al.  Synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic activities of titanate nanotubes surface-decorated by zinc oxide nanoparticles. , 2009, Journal of hazardous materials.

[12]  N. Murafa,et al.  Photoactive materials prepared by homogeneous hydrolysis with thioacetamide: Part 2 ? TiO2/ZnO nanocomposites , 2008 .

[13]  C. Heo,et al.  Deposition of TiO2 thin films using RF magnetron sputtering method and study of their surface characteristics , 2005 .

[14]  Xiaomin Li,et al.  Self-catalytic synthesis and photoluminescence of ZnO nanostructures on ZnO nanocrystal substrates , 2004 .

[15]  G. Exarhos,et al.  Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of ZnO and Doped ZnO Films, Nanoparticles and Bulk Material at Ambient and High Pressures , 1997 .