Photo-catalytic degradation of rhodamine 6G dye by ZnO film deposited using microwave atmospheric plasma jet

• Main Authors: Tinacba, E.J. C., Nuñez, Julius Andrew P., Tumlos, R. B., Ramos, H. J.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Zinc oxide thin films; Photocatalysis; Physics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/8625
• Institution: De La Salle University

ZnO films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrate using microwave atmospheric plasma jet device. A 10/5 LPM Ar/N2 gas and 650 W microwave absorbed power were used to produce the plasma. A 0.2M zinc acetate solution, driven by 0.3 LPM air, was mixed with the plasma via a nebulizer. The ZnO film was deposited on the substrate for 15 minutes. The ZnO film was characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. 111e film , has grainy, rough, and porous microstructures as seen in Figure l(a). Based also on its 1• XRD pattern in Figure l(b), the film is polycrystalline with a wurtzite structure. Zn 101) crystallites were also observed. This is supported by the EDX analysis wherein the ratio of Zn and O is 71.87:28.13. The film was immersed in 10 mL Rhodamine 6G dye solution and then exposed under UV light. The absorbance of the solution was measured every 5 minutes using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The concentration of the solution continuously decreased as the exposure of time was increased. After 30 minutes, the concentration decreased by about 49%. This shows that the film is an effective photo-catalyst. This is because of its porous and grainy morphology which means that more surface areas are exposed that can participate in the degradation of the Rhodamine 6G dye.