ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Dependence of morphology, substrate and thickness of iron phthalocyanine thin films on the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B dye

Jing Xu, Lele Zhao, Wenlong Hou, Huiyun Guo, and Haiquan Zhang

Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, People’s Republic of China

E-mail: hqzhang@ysu.edu.cn

Abstract: The photocatalytic activity of thin film mainly depended on the morphology of thin film and lifetime of photo-generated charges. Here, we reported the effect of morphology adjusted through solvent vapor treatment (SVT) and different substrates on the photocatalytic activity of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) thin films. The FePc thin films on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass, copper (Cu), and quartz glass were prepared by vacuum evaporation, and their morphologies untreated and treated with solvent vapor such as benzene, petroleum ether, N,N-dimethylformamide for different time intervals; time intervals (0, 24, 36, 48, 72 h) were characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffractometer. The effects of thickness and substrate on photocatalytic activity of the FePc thin film were characterized accordingly. SVT could effectively adjust morphology (nanorods and nanosheets) of the FePc thin film and improve its photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible light irradiation. In addition, the thickness (10, 20, and 50 nm) and substrate (ITO, Cu, Quartz glass) of the FePc thin film also affected its photocatalytic activity. The degradation rate of RhB with the optimized FePc thin film on ITO substrate was reached 70.0%. We proposed that the morphology treated by SVT could increase the active sites of the FePc thin film and further improve its photocatalytic activity. The thickness and substrate of the FePc thin film were also discussed.

Keywords: Photocatalyst ; Iron phthalocyanine ; Solvent vapor treatment ; Morphology ; Substrate ; Photocatalytic activity 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-018-0453-3

Chemical Papers 72 (9) 2327–2337 (2018)