Electrophoreted Zn–TiO2–ZnO nanocomposite coating films for photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol

TiO2–ZnO nano-powders with different TiO2/ZnO ratios have been synthesized by hydrothermal method. Nanocomposite coating films consisting of TiO2–ZnO and Zn with thickness of 20 μm have been electrophoreted on steel plates by rapid plating from a ZnO-based alkaline bath. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were used to investigate the structure, the size distribution, and the composition of prepared nano-powders and plated materials. The effect of the operating parameters such as powder contents, pH and current density on the electrophoresis process has been investigated and optimum conditions of coating process were determined. Corrosion properties of plated samples have been studied by salt spray test. The catalytic activity of the prepared nanocomposite Zn–TiO2–ZnO films for the photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) was measured.