Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of erbium (Er3+) and yttrium (Y3+) doped TiO2 thin films with remarkable self-cleaning super-hydrophilic properties

The self-cleaning and super hydrophilic properties of pristine TiO2 and of TiO2 doped with Er3+ or Y3+ transparent thin films deposited onto glass substrates were investigated. The thin films prepared by multiple dipping and drying cycles of the glass substrate into the pristine TiO2 sol and Er3+ or...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:RSC advances 2020-05, Vol.10 (29), p.17247-17254
Main Authors: Raquel da Silva Cardoso, de Amorim, Suélen Maria, Scaratti, Gidiane, Moura-Nickel, Camilla Daniela, Rodrigo Peralta Muniz Moreira, Gianluca Li Puma, Regina de Fatima Peralta Muniz Moreira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic force microscopy
Catalytic activity
Chemistry
Cleaning
Crystallites
Erbium
Glass substrates
Hydrophilicity
Irradiation
Oleic acid
Optical properties
Photocatalysis
Photodegradation
Spectrophotometry
Surface roughness
Thin films
Titanium dioxide
Wettability
Yttrium
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Summary:The self-cleaning and super hydrophilic properties of pristine TiO2 and of TiO2 doped with Er3+ or Y3+ transparent thin films deposited onto glass substrates were investigated. The thin films prepared by multiple dipping and drying cycles of the glass substrate into the pristine TiO2 sol and Er3+ or Y3+-doped TiO2 sol were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The self-cleaning photocatalytic activity of the thin films towards the removal of oleic acid deposited on the surface under UVA irradiation was evaluated. A remarkable enhancement was observed in the hydrophilic nature of the TiO2 thin films under irradiation. The optical properties and wettability of TiO2 were not affected by Er3+ or Y3+ doping. However, the photocatalytic degradation of oleic acid under UVA irradiation improved up to 1.83 or 1.95 fold as the Er3+ or Y3+ content increased, respectively, due to the enhanced separation of the photogenerated carriers and reduced crystallite size. AFM analysis showed that the surface roughness increased by increasing the Er3+ or Y3+ content due to the formation of large aggregates. This in turn contributes to the increase of the active surface area enhancing the photodegradation process. This study demonstrates that TiO2 doped with low amounts of Er3+ or Y3+ down to 0.5 mol% can produce transparent, super-hydrophilic, thin film surfaces with remarkable self-cleaning properties.
ISSN:2046-2069
2046-2069
DOI:10.1039/d0ra02242j