Lilov E.Lilova V.Nedev S.Kozhukharov S.Girginov C.Yancheva D.2024-07-162024-07-162024-07-162024-07-162022-01-011314-79781314-7471SCOPUS_ID:85135007258https://rlib.uctm.edu/handle/123456789/1390Four sets of samples of anodically prepared ZnO thin films were tested as potential photocatalysts for degradation of methyl orange (MO). The results show that the best properties belong to the samples prepared by anodization in oxalic acid and subsequently annealed 3 hours at 341°C. The dependences of the rate of the reaction on the time of use of the photocatalyst, the temperature of the decomposition reaction, the pH of the solution and the illumination were investigated too. The activation energies of the reactions were derived from the dependence of the rate of the reaction on the temperature. The properties of the acquired ZnO anodic films, as well as their compositions and structures were investigated by various analytical techniques, as follows: Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray Diffractometry (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and UV-VIS Spectrophotometry.enArticle