Substrate-film interfacial interaction in the fabrication of ZnO photocatalytic thin films via sol-gel and aqueous solution-gel CSD processing
Despite the many environmental advantages that Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD) processes can offer for the production of thin films and functional coatings, their industrial adoption is still a long way off. Inconveniences related to the lack of homogeneity and, occasionally, poor microstructural...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:digitalcsic_::91756bf396a3f6d09e3a854378fe8cb4 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/432195 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | ZnO (D) Films (A) Sol-gel processes (A) Functional applications (E) Photocatalysis |
| Sumario: | Despite the many environmental advantages that Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD) processes can offer for the production of thin films and functional coatings, their industrial adoption is still a long way off. Inconveniences related to the lack of homogeneity and, occasionally, poor microstructural control, can ultimately complicate the achievement of uniform deposits with reproducible properties. A key factor is the interaction at the substrate-film interface. In addition to compositional differences, other structural and microstructural properties of the substrate such as its crystallinity, crystalline orientation, and surface roughness, can be crucial in successfully replacing the energy-intensive processes commonly used to produce functional films with more sustainable processing alternatives. This study investigates the potential of two simple CSD procedures—the well-known sol-gel method and an inspired variant in a fully aqueous medium (aqueous solution-gel)—for the sustainable fabrication of ZnO thin films with photocatalytic properties. The semiconductor coatings are deposited on a variety of substrates, including amorphous and crystalline silica, a high roughness alumina, and a conductive platinum-based material, aiming to assess the impact of substrate properties on photocatalytic performance while evaluating the effectiveness of both methods for producing functional thin films. The findings reveal the challenges of achieving uniform coverage on highly irregular surfaces, but also demonstrate that both techniques are very versatile and hold promise for future large-scale thin film applications. |
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