Photocatalytic And Water-Splitting Properties Of Tio2 And Ag-Tio2 Films In The Visible Light Region

The structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 and Ag-TiO2 thin films grown by a hydrothermal method were studied by using an x-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive x ray, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The results indicated that all films were of single-phase and the Ag presence enhanced catalytic and water-splitting performances in the visible light region. In particular, the methylene blue solution was disintegrated up to 99% after 12 and 8 h for TiO2 and Ag-TiO2 films, respectively. Meanwhile, the splitting efficiency increased from 0.3% for TiO2 to 1% for Ag-TiO2. These performances demonstrate the great potential of Ag-TiO2 films in photocatalytic and water-splitting applications. (c) 2021 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).