Preparation and characterization of ZrO2/TiO2 composite photocatalytic film by micro-arc oxidation

ZrO2/TiO2 composite photocatalytic film was produced on the pure titanium substrate using in-situ Zr(OH)4 colloidal particle by the micro-arc oxidation technique and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer. The composite film shows a lamellar and porous structure which consists of anatase, rutile and ZrO2 phases. The optical absorption edge of film is shifted to longer wavelength when ZrO2 is introduced to TiO2. Furthermore, the photocatalytic reaction rate constants of degradation of rhodamine B solution with ZrO2/TiO2 composite film and pure TiO2 film under ultraviolet irradiation are measured as 0.0442 and 0.0186 h−1, respectively.