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Increasing the photocatalytic efficiency and electro-optical properties of titanium dioxide nanolayers doped with copper, silver and gold elements
Ali Asghar Khakpoor
Characterization and Application of Nanomaterials 2026, 9(2), 11764; https://doi.org/10.24294/can11764
Submitted:23 May 2026
Accepted:25 May 2026
Published:16 Jun 2026
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Abstract
To improve the photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide nanolayers, we used doping with gold, silver, and copper nanoparticles. The nanolayers were prepared by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The surface morphology of the nanolayers was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the roughness and surface properties of the samples were measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to characterize the crystal structure of the nanolayers. Also, the absorption spectra of the nanolayers were measured using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer. Their absorption and band gap changes were investigated and compared. A high increase in the absorption rate of nanolayers, especially compared to previous studies, was observed in the obtained results. The photocatalytic activity of the nanolayers was analyzed using the ISO-10678:2010 method for photonic efficiency, and the effect of doped elements in the structure of the nanolayers was studied. The results showed that doping titanium dioxide with metallic elements such as copper, silver, and gold significantly improves the photonic efficiency of nanolayers.
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