Study on photocatalytic activity of ZnO-Zn<sub>2</sub>TiO<sub>4</sub> for the ceramic glaze

Weida Hu; Jiaming Lin; Qi Xu; Tong Yu; Jingxiong Liu; Zhiquan Xiao; Hong Wang; Qijian Li; Weida Hu; Jiaming Lin; Qi Xu; Tong Yu; Jingxiong Liu; Zhiquan Xiao; Hong Wang; Qijian Li

doi:10.3934/matersci.2025038

AIMS Materials Science

2025, Volume 12, Issue 4: 877-892. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2025038

Previous Article Next Article

Research article

Study on photocatalytic activity of ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ for the ceramic glaze

1.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, 412007, China
2.
Liling Ceramic College, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, 412007, China
3.
Hunan Yangdong Porcelain Insulators & Electric Co. Ltd, The Ultra High Voltage Insulation Materials of Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhuzhou, 412205, China

Received: 02 July 2025 Revised: 19 August 2025 Accepted: 22 August 2025 Published: 01 September 2025

Due to the high sintering temperature of traditional ceramics, most photocatalytic substances in the ceramic glaze will lose efficacy. In this study, the photocatalyst of ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ were synthesized by the sol-hydrothermal method and sintered at 1300 ℃. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ was tested by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation at room temperature. Then, selecting the best catalytic effect of ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ was mixed with the ceramic glaze and sintered at 1300 ℃, which was also tested by the degradation of MB. The results showed that when the ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ was the molar ratio of Ti:Zn = 1:8 and added into the ceramic glaze with 15% mass percentage after sintering 1300 ℃, it exhibited superior photocatalytic efficiency in degrading MB. This study presents a novel approach for preparing high-temperature (1300 ℃) glazes with enhanced photocatalytic properties.
- photocatalysis,
- high temperature,
- ZnO,
- Zn₂TiO₄,
- ceramic glaze
Citation: Weida Hu, Jiaming Lin, Qi Xu, Tong Yu, Jingxiong Liu, Zhiquan Xiao, Hong Wang, Qijian Li. Study on photocatalytic activity of ZnO-Zn2TiO4 for the ceramic glaze[J]. AIMS Materials Science, 2025, 12(4): 877-892. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2025038

Related Papers:

Abstract

Due to the high sintering temperature of traditional ceramics, most photocatalytic substances in the ceramic glaze will lose efficacy. In this study, the photocatalyst of ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ were synthesized by the sol-hydrothermal method and sintered at 1300 ℃. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ was tested by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation at room temperature. Then, selecting the best catalytic effect of ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ was mixed with the ceramic glaze and sintered at 1300 ℃, which was also tested by the degradation of MB. The results showed that when the ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ was the molar ratio of Ti:Zn = 1:8 and added into the ceramic glaze with 15% mass percentage after sintering 1300 ℃, it exhibited superior photocatalytic efficiency in degrading MB. This study presents a novel approach for preparing high-temperature (1300 ℃) glazes with enhanced photocatalytic properties.

References

[1]	Murugan K, Subasri R, Rao TN, et al. (2013) Synthesis, characterization and demonstration of self-cleaning TiO₂ coatings on glass and glazed ceramic tiles. Prog Org Coat 76: 1756–1760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2013.05.012 doi: 10.1016/j.porgcoat.2013.05.012
[2]	Hofer M, Penner D (2011) Thermally stable and photocatalytically active titania for ceramic surfaces. J Eur Ceram Soc 31: 2887–2896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2011.07.016 doi: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2011.07.016
[3]	Monrós G, Liusar M, Badenes J, et al. (2022) Sol-gel ceramic glazes with photocatalytic activity. J Sol-Gel Sci Techn 02: 535–549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-022-05787-z doi: 10.1007/s10971-022-05787-z
[4]	Liu J, Wang Y, Ma J, et al. (2019) A review on bidirectional analogies between the photocatalysis and antibacterial properties of ZnO. J Alloy Compd 783: 898–918. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.12.330 doi: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.12.330
[5]	Leong S, Razmjou A, Wang K, et al. (2014) TiO₂ based photocatalytic membranes: A review. J Membrane Sci 472: 167–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2014.08.016 doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2014.08.016
[6]	Yu Z, Qiu R, Li H, et al. (2016) Preparation and photocatalytic activity of SnO₂. Mater Lett 170: 25–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2015.12.100 doi: 10.1016/j.matlet.2015.12.100
[7]	Wang Q, Zhang W, Hu X, et al. (2021) Hollow spherical WO₃/TiO₂ heterojunction for enhancing photocatalytic performance in visible-light. J Water Process Eng 40: 101943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.101943 doi: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.101943
[8]	Qin R, Meng F, Khan MW, et al. (2019) Fabrication and enhanced photocatalytic property of TiO₂-ZnO composite photocatalysts. Mater Lett 240: 84–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2018.12.139 doi: 10.1016/j.matlet.2018.12.139
[9]	Hamdi A, Ferreira DP, Ferraria AM, et al. (2016) TiO₂-CdS nanocomposites: Effect of CdS oxidation on the photocatalytic activity. J Nanomater 2016: 6581691. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6581691 doi: 10.1155/2016/6581691
[10]	Sangchay W (2016) The self-cleaning and photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ doped with SnO₂ thin films preparation by sol-gel method. Energy Procedia 89: 170–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2016.05.023 doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2016.05.023
[11]	Machida M, Norimoto K, Kimura T (2005) Antibacterial activity of photocatalytic titanium dioxide thin films with photodeposited silver on the surface of sanitary ware. J Am Ceram Soc 88: 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2004.00006.x doi: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2004.00006.x
[12]	Määttä J, Piispanen M, Kuisma R, et al. (2007) Effect of coating on cleanability of glazed surfaces. J Eur Ceram Soc 27: 4555–4560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2007.02.204 doi: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2007.02.204
[13]	Cacciotti I, Nanni F, Campaniello V, et al. (2014) Development of a transparent hydrorepellent modified SiO₂ coatings for glazed sanitarywares. Mater Chem Phys 146: 240–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2014.03.005 doi: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2014.03.005
[14]	Zhuang J, Liu P, Dai W, et al. (2010) A novel application of nano anticontamination technology for outdoor high-voltage ceramic insulators. Int J Appl Ceram Tec 7: 46–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7402.2009.02395.x doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7402.2009.02395.x
[15]	Zeng Z, Cheng P, Hong Y, et al. (2010) Fabrication of a photocatalytic ceramic by doping Si-, P-, and Zr- modified TiO₂ nanopowders in glaze. J Am Ceram Soc 93: 2948–2951. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.03910.x doi: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.03910.x
[16]	He C, Tian B, Zhang J (2010) Thermally stable SiO₂-doped mesoporous anatase TiO₂ with large surface area and excellent photocatalytic activity. J Colloid Interf Sci 344: 382–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2010.01.002 doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2010.01.002
[17]	Tulyaganov DU, Agathopoulos S, Fernandes HR, et al. (2007) The influence of incorporation of ZnO-containing glazes on the properties of hard porcelains. J Eur Ceram Soc 27: 1665–1670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2006.05.011 doi: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2006.05.011
[18]	Gonçalves RA, Toledo RP, Joshi N, et al. (2021) Green synthesis and applications of ZnO and TiO₂ nanostructures. Molecules 26: 2236. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26082236 doi: 10.3390/molecules26082236
[19]	Gabal MA, Angari YMAl (2022) Zinc titanates nanopowders: Synthesis and characterization. Mater Res Express 9: 025010. https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ac5709 doi: 10.1088/2053-1591/ac5709
[20]	Mayén-Hernández SA, Torres-Delgado G, Castanedo-Pérez R, et al. (2007) Photocatalytic activity in Zn₂TiO₄ + ZnO thin films obtained by the sol-gel process. J Adv Oxid Technol 10: 90–93. https://doi.org/10.1515/jaots-2007-0115DOI:10.1515/jaots-2007-0115 doi: 10.1515/jaots-2007-0115DOI:10.1515/jaots-2007-0115
[21]	Cheng HH, Chen SS, Yang SY, et al. (2018) Sol-gel hydrothermal synthesis and visible light photocatalytic degradation performance of Fe/N codoped TiO₂ catalysts. Materials 11: 939. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11060939 doi: 10.3390/ma11060939
[22]	Yang T, Liu Y, Xia G, et al. (2021) Degradation of formaldehyde and methylene blue using wood-templated biomimetic TiO₂. J Clean Prod 329: 129726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129726 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129726
[23]	Paredes P, Rauwel E, Wragg D, et al. (2023) Sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue with facile one-step synthesized Cu-Cu₂O-Cu₃N nanoparticle mixtures. Nanomaterials 138: 1311. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13081311 doi: 10.3390/nano13081311
[24]	Sun X, Wang S, Shen C, et al. (2016) Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production over Rh-doped inverse spinel Zn₂TiO₄. ChemCatChem 813: 2289–2295. https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201600425 doi: 10.1002/cctc.201600425
[25]	Siriwong C, Phanichphant S (2011) Flame-made single phase Zn₂TiO₄ nanoparticles. Mater Lett 65: 2007–2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2011.03.058 doi: 10.1016/j.matlet.2011.03.058
[26]	Chai Y, Li L, Lu J, et al. (2019) Germanium-substituted Zn₂TiO₄ solid solution photocatalyst for conversion of CO₂ into fuels. J Catal 371: 144–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcat.2019.01.017 doi: 10.1016/j.jcat.2019.01.017
[27]	Arin J, Thongtem S, Phuruangrat A, et al. (2017) Characterization of ZnO-TiO₂ and zinc titanate nanoparticles synthesized by hydrothermal process. Res Chem Intermediat 43: 3183–3195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11164-016-2818-y doi: 10.1007/s11164-016-2818-y
[28]	Leśniak M, Partyka J, Sitarz M (2016) Impact of ZnO on the structure of aluminosilicate glazes. J Mol Struct 1126: 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2016.01.009 doi: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2016.01.009
[29]	Chaves AC, Lima SJG, Araújo RCMU, et al. (2006) Photoluminescence in disordered Zn₂TiO₄. Int J Quantum Chem 179: 985–992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssc.2005.12.018 doi: 10.1016/j.jssc.2005.12.018
[30]	Mebrek A, Alleg S, Benayache S, et al. (2018) Preparation and characterization of spinel type Zn₂TiO₄ nanocomposite. Ceram Int 44: 10921–10928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.03.153 doi: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.03.153
[31]	Manchala S, Nagappagari LR, Venkatakrishnan SM, et al. (2018) Facile synthesis of noble-metal free polygonal Zn₂TiO₄ nanostructures for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under solar light irradiation. Int J Hydrogen Energ 43: 13145–13157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.05.035 doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.05.035
[32]	Janani FZ, Khiar H, Taoufik N, et al. (2023) ZnO-Zn₂TiO₄ heterostructure for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals. Environ Sci Pollut R 30: 81403–81416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22791-6 doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-22791-6

Reader Comments

Your name:*

Email:*
© 2025 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)