Synthesis, structure and photoelectrochemical behaviour of ZnO coatings on AISI 304 type steel

Agnė Šulčiūtė; Simona Ostachavičiūtė; Eugenijus Valatka

doi:10.6001/chemija.2017.28.2.1

Agnė Šulčiūtė
Simona Ostachavičiūtė
Eugenijus Valatka

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6001/chemija.2017.28.2.1

Keywords: zinc oxide, electrophoretic deposition, photoelectrochemical, cobalt phosphate

Abstract

ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by thermal decomposition of precursor zinc acetate. Using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) ZnO coatings on AISI 304 steel were formed. The optimum deposition conditions for ZnO coatings were experimentally determined. The effects of synthesis conditions on the structure, morphology, composition and electrochemical properties of deposited coatings were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry (DSC–TG) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis and photo-voltammetry. The photoelectrochemical performance of the prepared ZnO films was evaluated in a 0.1 M Na2SO4 aqueous solution. Also, the as-prepared photocatalysts were modified with a cobalt-based (Co–Pi) oxygen evolving catalyst (OEC) using photo-assisted deposition. The voltammetric characteristics revealed that the presence of a cobalt-based catalyst effectively changes the photoelectrocatalytic activity of oxide particles.