Synthesis, characterization and investigation of photocatalytic activities of ZnO/CdO thin film structures

In this thesis, CdO/ZnO thin film structures were synthesized on FTO substrates by chemical bath deposition and spin coating, and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated. The aim of the study is to enhance photocatalytic performance by combining the semiconductor oxides CdO and ZnO. A heterostructured composite photocatalyst was obtained by combining the wide band gap and high photosensitivity of ZnO with the narrow band gap of CdO. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the films were characterized by XRD, SEM, AFM, contact angle measurements and UV-Vis spectroscopy, and their photocatalytic performance was evaluated through the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. Under UV irradiation, the CdO/ZnO heterostructures exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than pure CdO thin films. These results indicate that CdO/ZnO composites are potential photocatalysts for the removal of environmental pollutants and for advanced wastewater treatment applications.