Manufacturing of patterned ZnO films with application for photoinitiated decolorization of malachite green in aqueous solutions

Patterned thin films, ZnO, are successfully prepared on glass substrates by the sol-gel method using dip-coating technique. The films, formed of ZnO nanocrystallites with hexagonal crystal structure, are characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The as obtained ZnO films are studied with respect to photo-initiated bleaching of malachite green in aqueous solutions. The bleaching process is investigated at various initial concentrations of malachite green in the aqueous solutions by using ZnO films of different thicknesses. The obtained results are promising for the development of ZnO photocatalysts by the sol-gel method.