Enhancing Self-Cleaning Capabilities: Synthesis of Au Nanoparticle-Decorated MnO2 Thin Film with Photohydrophobic Behavior

This study focuses on synthesizing MnO2 thin films(TF) and Au-decorated MnO2 TF using the E-beam evaporation technique to examine its wettability application. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrates the preferred orientation and polycrystalline growth of the MnO2 film. A contact angle goniometer was used to measure its contact angle, MnO
2
TF and MnO
2
TF/Au NP showed a contact angle of 112.2 and 104.2, respectively. Optical analysis revealed a significant UV and visible region enhancement for Au-decorated MnO
2
TF. Photoinduced hydrophilicity showed that MnO
2
TF/Au NP surpassed the bare MnO
2
TF. Introducing noble metal nanoparticles onto the MnO
2
TF contributed to this enhancement, which holds promise for various self-cleaning applications.