Effect Of TiO2 Concentration Research Articles

Effect of TiO2 concentration in PVDF-TiO2-PVP mixed matrix membrane performance using ultrafiltration process

This study investigated how the addition of hydrophilic TiO2 to a porous asymmetric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane altered its properties and performance. The hydrophilicity and flux of PVDF and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) combinations will be lower, and TiO2 will significantly impact raising those values. By mixing titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with a pore-forming agent in a dope solution, PVDF-TiO2-PVP membranes were prepared via non-solvent-induced phase inversion method. Experiments using PVDF membranes with varying concentrations of TiO2 (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2% wt) were applied to evaluate pure water flux and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) flux. The functional group composition of membranes was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The wettability of porous membranes was determined by measuring contact angles. Results demonstrated that membranes constructed from PVDF/PVP/TiO2 with a lower loading of TiO2 nanoparticles had a smaller mean pore size, more apertures inside the membrane, and better membrane hydrophilicity. The highest flux of pure water (121 L/m2h) was achieved by the PVDF-TiO2-PVP mixed-matrix membrane at a TiO2 concentration of 2 wt%.

Investigation of Photocatalytic PVDF Membranes Containing Inorganic Nanoparticles for Model Dairy Wastewater Treatment.

Membrane separation processes are promising methods for wastewater treatment. Membrane fouling limits their wider use; however, this may be mitigated using photocatalytic composite materials for membrane preparation. This study aimed to investigate photocatalytic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based nanocomposite membranes for treating model dairy wastewater containing bovine serum albumin (BSA). Membranes were fabricated via physical coating (with TiO2, and/or carbon nanotubes, and/or BiVO4) and blending (with TiO2). Another objective of this study was to compare membranes of identical compositions fabricated using different techniques, and to examine how various TiO2 concentrations affect the antifouling and cleaning performances of the blended membranes. Filtration experiments were performed using a dead-end cell. Filtration resistances, BSA rejection, and photocatalytic cleanability (characterized by flux recovery ratio (FRR)) were measured. The surface characteristics (SEM, EDX), roughness (measured by atomic force microscopy, AFM), wettability (contact angle measurements), and zeta potential of the membranes were also examined. Coated PVDF membranes showed higher hydrophilicity than the pristine PVDF membrane, as evidenced by a decreased contact angle, but the higher hydrophilicity did not result in higher fluxes, unlike the case of blended membranes. The increased surface roughness resulted in increased reversible fouling, but decreased BSA retention. Furthermore, the TiO2-coated membranes had a better flux recovery ratio (FRR, 97%) than the TiO2-blended membranes (35%). However, the TiO2-coated membrane had larger total filtration resistances and a lower water flux than the commercial pristine PVDF membrane and TiO2-blended membrane, which may be due to pore blockage or an additional coating layer formed by the nanoparticles. The BSA rejection of the TiO2-coated membrane was lower than that of the commercial pristine PVDF membrane. In contrast, the TiO2-blended membranes showed lower resistance than the pristine PVDF membrane, and exhibited better antifouling performance, superior flux, and comparable BSA rejection. Increasing the TiO2 content of the TiO2-blended membranes (from 1 to 2.5%) resulted in increased antifouling and comparable BSA rejection (more than 95%). However, the effect of TiO2 concentration on flux recovery was negligible.

The effect of TiO2 concentration on morphology, wear and corrosion properties of NiB-TiO2 composite coatings by ultrasonic-assisted pulse electrodeposition

In this study, TiO2 particle reinforced NiB alloy matrix composite coatings were produced on steel substrates by using a modified Watts type bath with ultrasonic-assisted pulse electrodeposition (UAPED) method. The average particle size of the TiO2 particles used in the composite coating is 500 nm, and the effect of different particle concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g l−1) on mechanical and electrochemical properties was investigated. The produced NiB alloy and NiB-TiO2 composite coatings were heat treated at 400 °C for 2 h, and the properties of the coatings were compared before and after heat treatment. Microstructure and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Phases and structures were determined by x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and crystalline size and % distortion were calculated from XRD analysis. The hardness measurements of NiB alloy and NiB-TiO2 composite coatings were carried out by microhardness measurement, and the wear tests of composites were carried out by the reciprocating method. Electrochemical measurements of coatings were carried out in 3.5% NaCl solution, and the effect of particle concentration on corrosion behaviour was investigated. The highest hardness value was 1268 HV, and it was obtained at 20 g l−1 TiO2 concentration and after heat treatment. The lowest crystalline size was obtained 34.4 nm with NiB-TiO2 composite coatings. When the wear resistances were compared with NiB-TiO2 composites and NiB alloy coating, composite coatings’ wear resistance increased approximately two times with the effect of heat treatment. In addition, when the coatings are evaluated in terms of corrosion behaviour, the best result was obtained in the composite coating produced with 20 g l−1 TiO2 concentration. Compared to NiB Alloy coating, the corrosion rate of the composite coating produced with 20 g l−1 TiO2 concentration was reduced from 32.49 mpy to 11.68 mpy. This indicates an improvement of approximately three times in corrosion rate.

Effect of TiO2 concentration on the optical properties of polymer composite PC-PS films

The optical properties of polymer composite polycarbonate-polystyrene (PC-PS) films with different filling levels of Titanium oxide (TiO2) were studied in the visible and ultraviolent wavelength regions. It was found that the optical absorption is due to direct allowed transitions, and the energy gaps increase from 3.4863 eV for 2.5% TiO2 to 3.9034 eV for 7.5% TiO2 filler content, while the width of the tail localized states decrease with increasing TiO2 content. The optical constants refractive index n, extinction coefficient k, the realand imaginary parts of the dielectric constants have been also calculated. The dielectric constant and refractive index are also affected by TiO2 content.

Effect of TiO2 Concentration on Microstructure and Properties of Composite Cu-Sn-TiO2 Coatings Obtained by Electrodeposition.

In this work, Cu–Sn–TiO2 composite coatings were electrochemically obtained from a sulfate bath containing 0–10 g/L of TiO2 nanoparticles. The effect of TiO2 particles on kinetics of cathodic electrodeposition has been studied by linear sweep voltammetry and chronopotentiometry. As compared to the Cu–Sn alloy, the Cu–Sn–TiO2 composite coatings show rougher surfaces with TiO2 agglomerates embedded in the metal matrix. The highest average amount of included TiO2 is 1.7 wt.%, in the case of the bath containing 5 g/L thereof. Composite coatings showed significantly improved antibacterial properties towards E. coli ATCC 8739 bacteria as compared to the Cu–Sn coatings of the same composition. Such improvement has been connected with the corrosion resistance of the composites studied by linear polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In the bacterial media and 3% NaCl solutions, Cu–Sn–TiO2 composite coatings have lower corrosion resistance as compared to Cu–Sn alloys, which is caused by the nonuniformity of the surface.

Activated Carbon of Coconut Shell Modified TiO2 as a Batik Waste Treatment

Research about the modification of activated carbon of coconut shell with TiO2 as a waste treatment Batik has been done. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of modified TiO2 on activated carbon characteristics and the effect of TiO2 concentration on the adsorption power of activated carbon in batik waste. The method utilized was activated carbon soaked in TiO2 with 5% and 10% concentrations in a ratio of 1: 5, then stirred with a magnetic stirrer for 2 hours. Next, the mixture was placed in an autoclave bottle and an oven (200°C for 30 minutes). The results were then washed with distilled water and dried (100°C for 5 hours), then the material was characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX, and application to batik waste. FTIR results indicated the presence of Ti-O-Ti groups after modification at wave number 682 cm-1, XRD indicated the presence of a combination of amorphous KA and crystalline TiO2 at 25,2°; 37,7°; 48,1°; 53,8°; and 55°, and SEM results of TiO2 agglomeration on the surface of the railroad. Adsorption of batik waste showed KATiO2-10 (0,052) lower than KA (0,059) and KATiO2-5 (0,057), as well as the presence of COD KA results = 705,6 mg / L (pH = 8), KATiO2-5 = 504,0 mg / L (pH pH = 7) and KATiO2-10= 403,2 mg / L (pH = 7). Based on this research, the activated carbon modified TiO2 can be used as a material for processing batik waste with the most significant concentration of TiO2 represent 10%.

Optimal Use of Titanium Dioxide Colourant to Enable Water Surfaces to Be Measured by Kinect Sensors.

Recent studies have sought to use Microsoft Kinect sensors to measure water surface shape in steady flows or transient flow processes. They have typically employed a white colourant, usually titanium dioxide (TiO2), in order to make the surface opaque and visible to the infrared-based sensors. However, the ability of Kinect Version 1 (KV1) and Kinect Version 2 (KV2) sensors to measure the deformation of ostensibly smooth reflective surfaces has never been compared, with most previous studies using a V1 sensor with no justification. Furthermore, the TiO2 has so far been used liberally and indeterminately, with no consideration as to the type of TiO2 to use, the optimal proportion to use or the effect it may have on the very fluid properties being measured. This paper examines the use of anatase TiO2 with two generations of the Microsoft Kinect sensor. Assessing their performance for an ideal flat surface, it is shown that surface data obtained using the V2 sensor is substantially more reliable. Further, the minimum quantity of colourant to enable reliable surface recognition is discovered (0.01% by mass). A stability test shows that the colourant has a strong tendency to settle over time, meaning the fluid must remain well mixed, having serious implications for studies with low Reynolds number or transient processes such as dam breaks. Furthermore, the effect of TiO2 concentration on fluid properties is examined. It is shown that previous studies using concentrations in excess of 1% may have significantly affected the viscosity and surface tension, and thus the surface behaviour being measured. It is therefore recommended that future studies employ the V2 sensor with an anatase TiO2 concentration of 0.01%, and that the effects of TiO2 on the fluid properties are properly quantified before any TiO2-Kinect-derived dataset can be of practical use, for example, in validation of numerical models or in physical models of hydrodynamic processes.

The effect of TiO2 concentration on the electrical and microstructural properties of ZnO-base varistor ceramic prepared from nanosize ZnO particles

ABSTRACT This study investigated electrical properties and microstructure of zinc oxide varistors containing MnO2, Cr2O3, V2O5 and TiO2. To this end, nanosize ZnO particles were synthesised by the polyacrylamide-gel method and doped with minor amounts of MnO2 (0.5 mol-%), Cr2O3 (0.5 mol-%), V2O5 (2 mol-%) and TiO2 in the range of 2–15 mol-%. The prepared samples sintered at 1050°C in air for 2 h. It was observed that TiO2 promoted grain growth of ZnO particles. X-ray examination showed hexagonal ZnO structure as a main phase and Zn2TiO4 and ZnV2O4 as minor secondary phases. The nonlinear coefficient and threshold voltage of the prepared samples were in the range of 3.3–7.9 and 1120–4700 V cm−1 respectively, in which both of them increased with increase in TiO2 content. Among the prepared samples, the varistor with 15 mol-% TiO2 exhibited the best performance in terms of nonlinearity. The nonlinear electrical behaviour was explained by theory of formation of the potential barriers at grain boundaries.

A novel solar PV/T driven air purification system based on heterogeneous photocatalytic reaction principles: A short review and preliminary investigation

This article aims to propose a novel high-efficient, autonomous, hybrid solar air purification, electrical generation and thermal recovery system, and conduct a preliminary feasibility analysis on the proposed system. The main works involve: (1) a short review on PV/T driven purification technology, (2) the introduction on the PV/T driven air purification system based on the heterogeneous photocatalytic reaction principles, (3) the effect of TiO2 concentration on the system solar spectra characteristics, electrical performance, and the solubility of formaldehyde, (4) and the formaldehyde photocatalytic degradation performance under different formaldehyde concentrations in TiO2 nanofluids. The main results are: (1) PV/T technology has huge application potential on the integration with the water or air purification systems. (2) As the increase of TiO2 concentration (0.05–0.12 g/L), the value of short-circuit current presents an obvious decreasing trend. The light transmittance loss of the TiO2 nanofluids layer basically has a little change in the TiO2 concentration range of 0.05–0.08 g/L, while a large decrease when the TiO2 concentration is more than 0.08 g/L. (3) As the increase of TiO2 concentration, the solubility of formaldehyde diminishes except the concentration of 0.05 g/L, which shows that a certain concentration of TiO2 can improve the formaldehyde solubility because the TiO2 particles have abundant hydrophilic groups on the surface. (4) The formaldehyde photocatalytic degradation rate decreases with the formaldehyde concentration in TiO2 nanofluids in the range of formaldehyde concentration of 0.05–0.15 mg/L. The degradation process can be divided into three stages.

Fabrication of electrospun polyethersulfone/titanium dioxide (PES/TiO2) composite nanofibers membrane and its application for photocatalytic degradation of phenol in aqueous solution

The main objective of this research is to use the photocatalytic properties of PES/TiO2 nanofibers membranes to remove the phenol as a toxic pollutant in various effluents. The uniform fibers in terms of minimum bead formation and fibers diameter were fabricated. Therefore, more TiO2 catalysts are on the surface of the fibers which increase the active surface area of nanoparticles and consequently improve the phenol degradation efficiency. The effects of TiO2 concentration on hydrophilicity, mechanical properties, porosity, mean pore size, and water flux of membranes were studied. The PES/TiO2 nanofibers were evaluated for phenol degradation under UVA irradiation through a transparent membrane module. The amount of removable phenol was analyzed with high‐performance liquid chromatography. Central composite design was used as a statistical experimental design. Finally, the effect of TiO2 content in nanofibers and initial phenol concentrations were investigated as well as pH values in synthetic wastewater, on phenol degradation. The results from analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis indicated that TiO2 content in nanofibers was the most important and effective parameter on phenol degradation. It was also presented that there is no significant interaction between parameters so that the effect of each parameter was investigated separately. Maximum phenol degradation was 43.0 ± 0.3% and found under conditions of TiO2 content, initial phenol concentration, and pH value of 8%, 120 ppm, and 7, respectively.

High-flux, antibacterial composite membranes via polydopamine-assisted PEI-TiO2/Ag modification for dye removal

The use of engineered nanomaterials in membrane design has proved promising to enhance the membrane separation performance and confer additional specific functionalities to a membrane. Enlightened by the robust adhesion of bioinspired coatings, super-hydrophilic titanium dioxide (TiO2) coupled with polyethylenimine (PEI) was stably anchored on the surface of a polydopamine (PDA)-coated membrane through vacuum filtration. The combination of organic-inorganic hybrid layer with PDA coating endowed the composite membrane with an excellent separation performance. Further in-situ formation of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) onto the composite membrane enabled the membrane with a high antibacterial activity. The effect of TiO2 concentration on membrane separation performance was studied. The results demonstrated that PEI plays a key role to achieve a superior dye rejection, although it resulted in a distinctly decrease of water permeability. As the TiO2 loading amount increases, the water permeability notably enhanced with an overall high rejection of dye solutions. The optimal composite membrane had a quite high water permeability of 40.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, and an excellent dye rejection. Plate counting method results showed that the Ag decorated composite membrane had a high bacteriostatic rate of 99.7%. This facile fabrication procedure and outstanding separation performance suggest that the modified membranes have a high potential in treating dye wastewater.

Microstructure and properties of TiO2 sol-enhanced black nickel nanocomposite coating

Black nickel coatings are widely used in industries due to their shiny black color and other unique properties. However these coatings are normally soft, which limits their applications. In order to increase the mechanical properties of black nickel coatings, sol-enhanced technology has been applied to the plating process. TiO2 sol-enhanced black nickel nanocomposite coatings were electroplated on nickel-coated brass. A systematic study on the microstructure and properties of the black coatings were conducted. The effects of TiO2 concentration (TiO2 sol concentration in 0–20 mL/L) on the surface morphology, nanohardness and wear resistance have been studied. The results indicated that the nanohardness of the sol-enhanced black nickel coating was increased by [Formula: see text]20%. The mechanisms of improvement and surface morphology variation were also discussed.

Electrosynthesis, characterization and photoconducting performance of copolymer poly(terthiophene + sexithiophene + TiO2)/ITO composite material

In the present work, a new composite material poly(3T + 6T + TiO2) was electrochemically synthesized. This composite material was synthesized in a solution of (CH2Cl2/TBAP) containing the monomers (terthiophene), (sexithiophene) and semiconductor (TiO2) particles. The preparedsamples were characterized electrochemically by cyclic voltamperometry (CV) and spectrometry analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The effect of TiO2 concentration in the solution on dispersed microparticle entity and on the photocurrent response was investigated. The results showed that TiO2 particles were dispersed and codeposited into the copolymer poly(3T + 6T + TiO2) matrix, and titanium atom was confirmed by EDX spectra. From SEM images, the TiO2 has a spherical shape and micrometer size. The FTIR spectrum indicated that titanium dioxide do not show a significant modification in terms of band shape and no interaction between polymers and TiO2 particles. Furthermore, the results showed that the composite films with different amounts of TiO2 exhibit good photocurrent properties which imply that these composites films can be used in various fields, such as photoelectrochemical applications as photovoltaic cells.

Performance of electrochemical oxidation and photocatalysis in terms of kinetics and energy consumption. New insights into the p-cresol degradation

This work reports the comparative performance of two Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), electrochemical oxidation and photocatalysis, as individual technological alternatives for the treatment of effluents containing p-cresol. First, the influence of operating parameters in the oxidation and mineralization yield was carried out together with kinetic analysis. Boron Doped Diamond (BDD), RuO2 and Pt as anodic materials, Na2SO4 and NaCl as supporting electrolytes and different current densities were evaluated in electrochemical oxidation whereas the effect of TiO2 concentration and radiation was studied in the photocatalytic degradation. Then, the parameter Electrical Energy per Order (EEO) was calculated to compare the energy consumption in both AOPs, concluding that under the studied conditions the electrochemical treatment with BDD, Na2SO4 and 125 A m−2 showed the best energy efficiency, with an EEO of 5.83 kW h m−3 order−1 for p-cresol and 58.05 kW h m−3 order−1 for DOC removal, respectively.

Improvement of reverse osmosis performance of polyamide thin-film composite membranes using TiO2 nanoparticles

The present paper explores the role of Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in the improvement of performance of polyamide thin-film composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. It reports on novel PA/TiO2 thin-film nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes via in situ interfacial polymerization technique. It carried out by pre-dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles in either organic phase (dodecane) of trimesoyl chloride or aqueous phase of m-phenylenediamine. The change in chemical and physical properties of the synthesized TFNC membranes was evaluated through studying ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Also, the effect of TiO2 concentration on RO performance and organic antifouling resistance was investigated. The synthesized PA-TiO2 TFNC membranes exhibited an improvement in permeate flux which increased from 33.6 to 40 L/m2 h with slightly increase in salt rejection (%) which increased from 99.75 to 99.82%. The synthesized TFNC membrane with low-concentration TiO2 showed an improvement for the organic fouling resistance. The synthesized PA-TiO2 TFNC membranes offering a strong potential for possible use as a novel type of TFNC membranes with high RO performance.

Investigation of TiO2 nanoparticle efficiency on decolourisation of industrial date syrup

SummaryThe TiO2 nanoparticle photocatalyst was used to decolourise industrial date syrup. The effect of TiO2 concentration (1 and 4% w/v), UV power (15 and 30 w) and processing time (12 and 48 h) on date syrup characteristics was investigated using a factorial design. The colour, turbidity, sugar content, total phenolic compounds, ash content and mineral (K, Na, Ca, Mg and Fe) of date syrup were analysed. The results demonstrated that using TiO2 nanoparticle as a photocatalyst for the decolourisation of date syrup is an effective and promising method. Colour in all treatments was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced between 30 and 53% in comparison with the initial date syrup (491 000 IU), and the reduction was even higher for date syrup turbidity (between 47 and 75%). The result showed that the process condition significantly affected the colour and turbidity reduction. On the basis of the result, the best treatment was TiO2 4%, 15 w and 48 h. Under this condition, date syrup colour, turbidity, ash content, sugar content reduced by 52%, 61%, 13% and 9%, respectively.

Low temperature synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the effect of synthesis conditions on properties of TiO2 nanoparticles to be used for photocatalysis and also producing TiO2 using a low temperature method.Design/methodology/approachTiO2 nanoparticles were synthesised via a sol‐gel method at low temperature and the effect of parameters such as: synthesis temperature, HNO3 concentration, calcination temperature and synthesis time on properties of TiO2 were studied. The effects of the physico‐chemical properties of TiO2, its concentration and light intensity on photocatalytic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles were investigated also.FindingsThe results showed that TiO2 with Anatase phase were formed at 80‐100°C by using proper HNO3 concentration, synthesis time and calcinations temperature. Calcinations programme and temperature and also the synthesis time affect the formation of TiO2 crystalline phase (i.e. Rutile and Brookite), their surface area and crystallite size. To evaluate the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles, fluorescein was used as a model molecule. Results showed that degradation of fluorescein could be described by pseudo‐first order kinetics. The effect of TiO2 concentration and light intensity on photocatalytic activity showed that increasing concentration of TiO2 and the light intensity would increase the degradation of fluorescein.Originality/valueThe method used in this work to prepare TiO2 nanoparticles is an economic method for low temperature synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles with high photocatalytic activity, which could find numerous applications in coating technology.

Chemical and biological treatments to clean oily wastewater: optimization of the photocatalytic process using experimental design

The remediation efficiency of oil containing wastewater was evaluated employing an integrated photocatalytic and biological treatment. Both the photocatalytic and biological treatments were carried out in batch reactors using TiO2 as the photocatalyst. The effects of TiO2 concentration, pH, and reaction time were optimized by the experimental design, achieving 90.0% of oil removal in 30 min of reaction time at pH = 5.0, with a reaction rate constant of 0.027 min-1 (R2 = 0.71). For biological treatment, we used the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa in biofilms. The biological treatment alone achieved 66.5% of oil removal in just 45 min of treatment, with a reaction rate constant of 0.018 min-1 (R2 = 0.99). To augment the process efficiency, we integrated both the chemical and biological treatments, achieving 99.0% of oil and 78.6% total organic carbon (TOC mg L-1) removal. The concept of experimental design adopted to optimize the photocatalytic process saved time and generated adequate estimates of the experimental variables, which were validated by the reaction kinetics.

Thermostable PPESK/TiO2 nanocomposite ultrafiltration membrane for high temperature condensed water treatment

Poly (phthalazine ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK)/TiO2 organic–inorganic composite ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with enhanced performance for high temperature condensed water treatment were prepared using a phase-inversion method. The effects of TiO2 concentration on the membrane morphologies, physic-chemical properties, membrane permeability and antifouling performance were investigated and discussed. The SEM result reveals that the penetrated finger-like structure in sublayer is suppressed, and sponge-like structure begins to be developed. The mechanical strength and thermal stability of composite membrane are improved due to the existence of hydrogen bond between TiO2 and polymer. The permeate flux is also enlarged due to the improved hydrophilicity and porosity. Compared with neat PPESK membrane, the composite membranes present improved antifouling properties, showing lower filtration resistances, MFI values and better flux recover property during high temperature condensed water treatment. The optimal addition amount of TiO2 is 2wt.%. The high temperature condensed water with excess oil and iron can be treated efficiently using PPESK/TiO2 composite membrane. The turbidity of feed solution is almost removed. The oil and iron concentrations in permeate solution are 0.89mg/L and 26.4μg/L which meet the Quality Criterion of Water and Steam for Steam Power Equipment in China.

The role of TiO2 addition in ZnO nanocrystalline thin films: Variation of photoelectrochemical responsivity

In this study, the effects of TiO2 addition on the physical and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO thin films have been investigated. The (TiO2)x–(ZnO)1−x nanocomposite thin films were dip-coated on both glass and indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated conducting glass substrates with various values of x, specifically 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5. Optical properties of the samples were studied by UV–vis spectrophotometry in the range of 300–1100nm. The optical spectra of the nanocomposite thin films showed high transparency in the visible region. The optical bandgap energy of the (TiO2)x–(ZnO)1−x films increased slightly with increasing values of x. The crystalline structure of the nanocomposite films was investigated by X-ray diffraction, which indicated the formation of ZnO nanocrystals in the thin films with x<0.5. Moreover, the crystallinity of the films decreased with increasing values of x. The surface chemical composition of the samples was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which revealed stoichiometric ZnO and TiO2 on the surfaces of the films. The photoelectrochemical properties of the samples were also characterized using a high-pressure xenon light source and KOH electrolyte. The addition of 10mol% (x=0.1) TiO2 to the ZnO thin films resulted in the best photoresponse in the visible region of the solar spectrum. In addition, the effect of TiO2 concentration on the electrical properties and the flat-band potential of the (TiO2)x–(ZnO)1−x system was studied by impedance spectroscopy; x=0.1 exhibited the highest donor density and charge-transfer resistance.