Preparation of Pd-containing TiO2 film and its photocatalytic properties

The palladium-containing titanium dioxide films on glass substrate were prepared in a dip-coating process using a palladium-containing TiO2 sol. Following calcinations at 300 degrees C, the authors rated the resulting film as having a hardness of 5 H as determined by a pencil scratch hardness tester. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by decolourisation of methyl orange and degradation of NOx, respectively. Simple analysis was carried out using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) to observe changes in the film following palladium modification. Modification of TiO2 films with palladium enhanced the photocatalytic activity for decolourisation of dye and oxidation of NO.