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

Abstract

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.