Super-hydrophilic porous TiO2-ZnO composite thin films without light irradiation

A serial of porous TiO2-ZnO composite thin films have been successfully synthesized by a facile one-pot dip-coating method, utilizing the amphiphilic triblock copolymer Pluronic P123 as the surfactant, and the Ti((OBu)-Bu-n)(4) and ZnCl2 as the inorganic sources. The resultant materials are characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and water contact angle measurements. The results indicate that the porous TiO2-ZnO thin film after being calcined at 550 degrees C possesses superhydrophilicity without light irradiation, which could be attributed to the high surface roughness and porous structure. What's more, it exhibits the long-term superhydrophilic stability, which would have potential applications in fields of environment. (c) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 1121-1124, 2016