Investigation of Photocatalytic Properties of NiO/TiO2 Layers Grown via PEO/EPD Method

Titanium dioxide-nickel oxide porous coatings were synthesized by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO)/ ElectroPhoretic Deposition (EPD) in one step and within a short time. The main purpose of this research was to increase photocatalytic activity of titanium oxide by increasing surface area and coupling of titanium oxide with nickel oxide. Applied voltage effects on phase structure, surface morphology and photocatalytic efficiency of coatings were studied. Phase structure and surface morphology of the synthesized catalysts were investigated by XRD and SEM, respectively. Photocatalytic efficiency of the samples was studied through measuring the decomposition rate of 4-chlorophenol. The results showed that the coatings mainly consisted of anatase and nickel oxide phases whose amounts in coatings increased with the voltage. There was an enhancement of the photocatalytic efficiency in TiO2/NiO composite coatings compared with TiO2 coatings. Besides, there was an optimum amount of NiO to reach maximum photocatalytic efficiently.