Photocatalytic degradation of toluene using sprayed N-doped ZnO thin films in aqueous suspension

Thin films of N-doped ZnO are synthesized via spray pyrolysis technique in aqueous medium using zinc acetate and ammonium acetate as precursors. Influence of N doping onto photochemical, structural, morphological, optical and thermal properties have been investigated. Structural analysis depicts hexagonal (wurtzite) crystal structure. The effect of N doping on the photocatalytic activity of N-doped ZnO in the degradation of toluene is studied and results are compared with pure ZnO. The results show that the rate of degradation of toluene over N-doped ZnO is higher as compared to that of pure ZnO and increases with increasing N doping up to 10 at.% and then decreases. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of N-doped ZnO thin films is mainly due to their capability for reducing the electron hole pair recombination. The photocatalytic mineralization of toluene in aqueous solution has been studied by measuring COD and TOC. Possible reaction mechanism pathways during toluene degradation over N-doped ZnO has been proposed.