Sol–gel synthesis of novel cobalt doped zinc tin oxide composite for photocatalytic application

A novel photocatalyst based on cobalt doped zinc tin oxide is proposed. Cobalt doped zinc tin oxide thin films were deposited using a sol–gel deposition method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission measurement and UV–vis spectroscopy. It was found that the addition of Co into the zinc tin oxide does influence the structural and optical properties of the thin films and increases the overall photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.