Abstract
Zinc oxide nanoparticle thin films were synthesized on glass substrate by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RF Sputtering) technique. The thin films were characterized and tested for optical properties by using different techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectrofluorophotometry. The produced nanoparticle ZnO thin films were investigated as photocatalyst for degradation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) in synthetic wastewater solutions under UV irradiation. Complete degradation of 2-CP was achieved by ZnO thin film (200 nm thickness) within 3 h at solution pH 3. The photocatalyst retained its high efficiency even after three reuse cycles. (C) 2014 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.