Origin of Difference in Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO (002)‎ Grown on a- and c-Face Sapphire

Abstract EN

The oriented (002) ZnO films were grown on a- and c-face sapphire by pulsed laser deposition.

The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the oriented (002) ZnO films were epitaxially grown on the substrate successfully.

The sample on a-face sapphire had higher crystal quality.

However, the photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B degradation of ZnO film on c-face sapphire was higher than that on a-face sapphire.

The Raman spectrum and XPS analysis suggested that the sample on a-face sapphire had higher concentration of defects.

The result of the contact angle measurement revealed that the sample on c-face sapphire had higher surface energy.

And the investigation of the surface conductance implied that the higher light conductance was helpful for the photocatalytic activity.