Paper Title
Photocatalytic Degradation Improvement of Low Density Polyethylene using Monoclinic Titania Thin Film Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract
LDPE waste disposal is a critical issue nowadays and the huge pile of this polymer represents a threat to the environment. Since the phase of TiO2 thin film has exhibited influence on the photocatalytic degradation of low-density polythene, this research was mainly focused on the effort to develop monoclinic titan thin film along with high efficiency of photocatalytic degradation of LDPE.Monoclinic Titania thin films was synthesized by a RF magnetron sputtering system from a titanium target, in an argon/oxygen gas mixture, deposition temperature 500˚C power 300W and oxygen flow rate 20 SCCM for 2 h. The morphological, optical properties and photocatalytic activity of thin coated films were comprehensively explored by using XRD analysis, UV-vis spectroscopy and crystal violet dye degradation. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that as-synthesized thin film represented the diffraction spectrum of monoclinic titania (TiO2) phase. In addition, experimental results on LDPE bag after exposure to visible irradiation showed improvement in degradation rate and tensile strength 61% and 52% within 21 days, respectively in comparison to other study (49 % Weight loss and 12% elongation after 45 days). Keyword - Titania Thin Film, Photocatalytic Degradation, Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)