Electrodeposition and photoelectrocatalytic activity of ZnO films on AISI 304 type steel

Abstract

Zinc oxide films on AISI 304 stainless steel were prepared by electrochemical deposition using slightly acidic zinc acetate solutions under galvanostatic conditions. The prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier - transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and photovoltammetry analysis. It was established that as-deposited ZnO films consist of lamellar particles with intercalated CH3COO- ions. It was determined that ZnO films show n-type behavior, the incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) being 2.0 % at +0.6 V in 0.1 M K2SO4 solution. The observed steady-state photocurrents increased upon heat treatment at 673 K of as-deposited ZnO samples and in the presence of methanol in supporting electrolyte.