Synthesis and properties of Ag/TiO2/Ti heterostructures

Authors

  • Sergey E. Maksimov Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220013, Belarus
  • Aleksey D. Sonnykh Scientific and Practical Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Materials Science, 19 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220072, Belarus
  • Dmitry V. Yakimchuk Scientific and Practical Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Materials Science, 19 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220072, Belarus
  • Shavkat I. Mamatkulov Institute of Material Science, Scientific Production Association «Physics – Sun», Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2b Chingiz Aytmatov Street, Tashkent 100084, Uzbekistan
  • Olga A. Galkina Institute of Material Science, Scientific Production Association «Physics – Sun», Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2b Chingiz Aytmatov Street, Tashkent 100084, Uzbekistan
  • Aleksey V. Баглов Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220013, Belarus , Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus
  • Liudmila S. Khoroshko Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220013, Belarus , Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

Keywords:

heterostructures, silver, titanium dioxide, photocatalysis, plasmonic structures, bifunctional structures
Supporting Agencies
The research was carried out with the financial support of the Belarusian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus (project T24MV-007, state registration No. 20241326). The authors are grateful to M. A. Yauseichyk (Diva) for assistance in obtaining experimental samples and conducting measurements.

Abstract

Ag/TiO2/Ti heterostructure was fabricated by electrochemical deposition method from a silver nitrate solution onto a titanium substrate with a thin titanium dioxide layer obtained via two-step chemical-thermal oxidation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that silver forms on the surface of the nanostructured titanium dioxide film predominantly as disordered complex tree-like structures (dendrites) with average dimensions of 1 × 8 μm, in this case, the formation of grains with a tendency toward clustering (cluster sizes up to 3.5 μm) was also observed. The metallic nature of the silver structures was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the Ag/TiO2/Ti heterostructure was determined with respect to the test contaminant rhodamine B in an aqueous solution (concentration 10 mg/L) upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation (wavelength 365 nm). The plasmonic activity of heterostructures with a lower detection threshold for the dye methylene blue at a concentration of 10–6 mmol/L when activated by a green laser (wavelength 532 nm) is shown. The obtained heterostructures, which combine photocatalytic and plasmonic properties, can be used to develop flow-through water purification and disinfection systems, as well as to create multifunctional substrates for real-time monitoring of organic pollutant degradation and for tracking photochemical reactions on the surface of such heterostructures.

Author Biographies

  • Sergey E. Maksimov, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220013, Belarus

    master’s degree student at the department of micro- and nanoelectronics, faculty of radioengineering and electronics

  • Aleksey D. Sonnykh, Scientific and Practical Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Materials Science, 19 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220072, Belarus

    junior researcher at the laboratory of physics of magnetic materials

  • Dmitry V. Yakimchuk, Scientific and Practical Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Materials Science, 19 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220072, Belarus

    PhD (physics and mathematics), docent; senior researcher at the laboratory of physics of magnetic materials

  • Shavkat I. Mamatkulov, Institute of Material Science, Scientific Production Association «Physics – Sun», Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2b Chingiz Aytmatov Street, Tashkent 100084, Uzbekistan

    PhD (physics and mathematics); head of the laboratory of multifunctional materials

  • Olga A. Galkina, Institute of Material Science, Scientific Production Association «Physics – Sun», Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2b Chingiz Aytmatov Street, Tashkent 100084, Uzbekistan

    postgraduate student

  • Aleksey V. Баглов, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220013, Belarus, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    researcher at the centre 4.11 «Nanoelectronics and advanced materials» of R & D department, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, and senior researcher at the laboratory of energy efficient materials and technologies, faculty of physics, Belarusian State University

  • Liudmila S. Khoroshko, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6 P. Browki Street, Minsk 220013, Belarus, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

    PhD (physics and mathematics), docent; leading researcher at the centre 4.11 «Nanoelectronics and advanced materials» of R & D department, Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, and leading researcher at the laboratory of energy efficient materials and technologies, faculty of physics, Belarusian State University

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2026-04-10

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No. 1 (2026): Journal of the Belarusian State University. Physics

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Condensed State Physics

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How to Cite

(1)
Maksimov, S. E.; Sonnykh, A. D.; Yakimchuk, D. V.; Mamatkulov, S. I.; Galkina, O. A.; Баглов A. V.; Khoroshko, L. S. Synthesis and Properties of Ag TiO2 Ti Heterostructures. Журнал Белорусского государственного университета. Физика 2026, No. 1, 64-71. https://doi.org/10.33581/2520-2243-2026-1-%p.
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