Enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2 thin film coating on microstructured silicon substrate

Photocatalytic TiO2 thin film is prepared by sol-gel technique on microstructured silicon substrate produced by femtosecond laser cumulative irradiation. The photocatalytic activity is evaluated by the degra-dation of methylene blue (MB) solution under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. For 6-ml MB solution withinitial concentration of 3.0×10~-5 mol/L, the degradation rate caused by TiO2 thin film of 2-cm~2 area ishigher than 70% after 10-h UV irradiation. Microstructured silicon substrate is found to enhance photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 thin film remarkably. The femtosecond laser microstructured silicon substrateis suitable to support TiO2 thin film photocatalysts.