abstract
Transparent TiO2 thin films coated with Ag NPs were synthesized using two industrially applicable techniques, pulsed laser ablation (PLAL) and spray pyrolysis without using high vacuum. These transparent thin films were deposited on glass in order to generate glass materials with photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties and a minimum loss of transparency. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the thin films were examined using Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron micro-scopy (SEM) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to identify the NPs on the TiO2 surface. The transmittance value for the thin films was greater than 80%.The thin films thus synthesized were then assessed to determine their photocatalytic capacity by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV light irradiation. Ag NPs on the TiO2 surface ensures an improvement in the photocatalytic properties, with a 99% degradation of RhB in 210 min under UV light. In addition, these trans-parent thin films showed high antimicrobial activity on Gram-negative bacteria when irradiated by UV light for 4 h, killing 93% of these bacteria.
keywords
LASER-ABLATION; NANOPARTICLES; DEGRADATION; PERFORMANCE; COMPOSITE; LIQUIDS; DYES; UV
subject category
Chemistry; Materials Science; Physics
authors
Cuadra, JG; Molina-Prados, S; Mínguez-Vega, G; Estrada, AC; Trindade, T; Oliveira, C; Seabra, MP; Labrincha, J; Porcar, S; Cadena, R; Fraga, D; Carda, JB
our authors
João António Labrincha Baptista
Full professor
Maria Paula Seabra
Assistant Professor
Tito Trindade
Full professorProjects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)
Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)
acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the Ministry of Science and Innovation "R&D&I Projects" of the State Programs for the Generation of Knowledge and Scientific and Technological Strengthening of the R&D&I System and R&D&I Oriented towards the Challenges of Society, within the framework of the Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation (2019-2020) project PID2020-116719RB-C43 financed by MCIN/EAI/10.13039/501100011033.This work also has also been funded by project PID2019-110927RB-I00 financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Funding from the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2020/029) and the Universitat Jaume I (UJI-B2019-37) is also acknowledged. The authors are very grateful to the 'Serveis Centrals dInstrumentacion Cientfica (SCIC) of the Universitat Jaume I for the use of lasers and for the assistance in the characterization of the materials. This work was also developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020 & LA/P/0006/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) . Ana C. Estrada also acknowledges the costs of her research contract resulting from the FCT hiring funded by National funds (OE), through FCT, I.P., in the scope ofthe framework contract foreseen in points 4, 5, and 6 of Article 23 of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of 29 August, amended by Law 57/2017, of 19 July.