Photocatalytically Highly Active Nanocomposite Films Consisting of TiO[sub 2] Particles and ZnO Whiskers Formed on Steel Plates

Nanocomposite films consisting of particles and Zn (thickness, 10 to 15 μm) were formed on steel plates by using an occlusion electrodeposition method. Scanning electron micrographs demonstrated that particles were incorporated throughout the film. The uptake increased significantly with addition of ions to the electrodeposition bath. A positive correlation was observed between the uptake and the photocatalytic activity for gas‐phase oxidation of . Postannealing of the sample in air at 673 K produced ZnO whiskers with a preferred orientation of plane, while the same treatment of the Zn/steel sample yielded granular ZnO polycrystals. The particles‐ZnO whiskers composite film exhibited a very high photocatalytic activity, which was greater than of the sample by a factor of 1.5.