Structure and photocatalytic properties of TiO2/Cu3N composite films prepared by magnetron sputtering

In this work, TiO2/Cu3N composite films were prepared by using magnetron sputtering. Results show that the optical band gap of the composite films can be effectively controlled by changing the preparation parameters, and the optical band gap of the composite films is lower than that of the TiO2 films (approximately 3.0 eV). The TiO2 in the composite films mainly appears as anatase phase, and the nano-Cu3N films prepared under the condition of r=1/4 promoted the formation of TiO2 effective electron trap on the surface of the composite films. In terms of degradation of methyl orange solution, the degradation rate of TiO2/Cu3N composite film is higher than that of pure TiO2 film, which can reach 99.2 % (using mercury lamp for 30 min). The nano-Cu3N grain inserted to TiO2 is beneficial to the conversion of Ti4+ to Ti3+, which significantly improves the photocatalytic reduction activity of the films. The TiO2/Cu3N composite films has an excellent catalytic activity and potential application prospects in wastewater treatment.