Structural Analysis and Hydrophilic Behavior of Co3O4 Thin Film for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under Visible Light with Hole Scavengers

Abstract

This research presents a cost-effective sol-gel technique to produce a uniform and highly effective Co3O4 thin film on glass substrates with a withdrawal speed of 5 m/s. The surface morphology and roughness of the film were analyzed, and it demonstrated a thickness of 177 nm and band gap of 2.0 eV. Under solar irradiation, the thin film exhibited remarkable photocatalytic degradation efficacy, with a high efficiency of 78% for blue methylene (BM). The 3D surface topography scan indicated significant roughness at 54.7 nm. Hole-scavengers such as H2O2, EDTA, and Octan-1 were found to enhance BM degradation. The study highlights the potential of the Co3O4 thin film for treating various organic contaminants in wastewater from diverse sources under solar irradiation.