Issue 27, 2020

Fabrication of Ag2O/WO3 p–n heterojunction composite thin films by magnetron sputtering for visible light photocatalysis

Abstract

Semiconductor-based nanostructures which are photo-catalytically active upon solar light irradiation were extensively used for environmental remediation due to the potential decomposition of various kinds of pollutants. In this work, we report the preparation of a sustainable thin film composite, i.e. Ag2O/WO3 p–n heterojunction, and investigation of its photocatalytic activity. To achieve the composite structure, WO3/Ag–WO3 layers were deposited over a quartz substrate by magnetron sputtering at room temperature and subsequently annealed at 823 to 923 K. The thin film structure, morphology, and chemical states were thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The obtained results revealed that the amorphous Ag-doped WO3 was crystallized into monoclinic WO3 and Ag2O, in which nanocrystalline Ag2O was diffused towards the surface of WO3. Optical transmittance spectra recorded by UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy revealed that the WO3/Ag–WO3 films became transparant in the visible region after annealing at high temperature (873 K and 923 K). The Ag2O/WO3 p–n heterojunction composite thin films showed high photocatalytic activity (0.915 × 10−3 min−1) under visible light irradiation, which is attributed to the efficiency of effective photogenerated charge-carrier formation and the reduced recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Unlike the powder-based photocatalysts, the reported thin film-based heterojunction photocatalyst could be very sustainable, and cost-effective.

Graphical abstract: Fabrication of Ag2O/WO3 p–n heterojunction composite thin films by magnetron sputtering for visible light photocatalysis

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Feb 2020
Accepted
15 Apr 2020
First published
28 Apr 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2020,10, 16187-16195

Fabrication of Ag2O/WO3 p–n heterojunction composite thin films by magnetron sputtering for visible light photocatalysis

Y. W. Jo, C. Loka, K. Lee and J. Lim, RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 16187 DOI: 10.1039/D0RA01579B

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