Preparation and photocatalytic activity of Cu-doped ZnO thin films prepared by the sol–gel method

Cu-doped ZnO thin films were fabricated on glass substrates by the sol–gel dip-coating method. All samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The grain size and film thickness of the Cu-doped ZnO thin film decreased as a function of the Cu concentrations. All prepared films showed a very high transmittance above 89% in the visible region (400–800 nm). Two oxidation states of Cu in +1 and +2 were identified in the ZnO thin film by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Their photocatalytic activities were investigated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under blacklight fluorescent tubes. The film prepared from the Zn2+ solution containing 0.5 mol% of copper ions had the highest photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue solution as a function of the initial concentrations was evaluated according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. The reaction rate (k) and adsorption equilibrium constant (K) over 1 cm2 of 0.5 mol% Cu-doped ZnO thin film are 15.92 μM h−1 and 0.049 μM−1, respectively.