Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of porous TiO2 films prepared by ODA/sol-gel method

Porous TiO₂ films were deposited on SiO₂ pre-coated glass-slides by sol-gel method using octadecylamine (ODA) as template. The amount of ODA in the sol played an important role on the physicochemical properties and photocatalytic performance of the TiO₂ films. The films prepared at different conditions were all composed of anatase titanium dioxide crystals, and TiO₂ crystalline size got larger with increasing ODA amount. The maximum specific surface area of 41.5 m²/g was obtained for TiO₂ powders prepared from titanium sol containing 2.0 g ODA. Methyl orange degradation rate was enhanced along with increasing ODA amount and reached the maximal value at 2.0 g addition of ODA. After 40 min of UV-light irradiation, methyl orange degradation rate reached 30.5% on the porous film, which was about 10% higher than that on the smooth film. Porous TiO₂ film showed almost constant activity with slight decrease from 30.5% to 28.5% after 4 times of recycles.     

Density, thickness and composition measurements of TiO2SiO2 thin films by coupling X-ray reflectometry, ellipsometry and electron probe microanalysis-X

Mixed TiO₂SiO₂ thin films were deposited by aerosol atmospheric CVD method by using di-acetoxi di-butoxi silane (DADBS) and Ti tetra-butoxide as precursors. By varying the deposition temperatures between 470 and 600 °C and the ratios between the Si and Ti precursors (Si/Ti) from 2 up to 16, films with different compositions and thicknesses were deposited. The coupled analysis of the results of different characterisation methods was used in order to determine the variation of the composition, the thickness and the density of the films. First EPMA measurements were performed at different acceleration voltages with a Cameca SX50 system. By analysing, with specific software, the evolution of the intensity ratio I_x/I_std versus the voltage, the composition and the mass thickness (product of density by the thickness) were determined. In order to measure independently the density, X-ray reflectometry experiments were performed. By analysing the value of the critical angle and the Kiessig fringes, the density and the thickness of the layers were determined. The refractive index and the thickness of the films were also measured by ellipsometry. By assuming a linear interpolation between the index value of the pure SiO₂ and TiO₂ films, the film composition was deduced from the refractive index value. XPS measurements were also performed in order to obtain an independent value of the composition. A good agreement between the ways to measure the density is obtained.     

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nano-structured thin film with a silver hierarchical configuration

TiO₂ sol-gels with various Ag/TiO₂ molar ratios from 0 to 0.9% were used to fabricate silver-modified nano-structured TiO₂ thin films using a layer-by-layer dip-coating (LLDC) technique. This technique allows obtaining TiO₂ nano-structured thin films with a silver hierarchical configuration. The coating of pure TiO₂ sol-gel and Ag-modified sol-gel was marked as T and A, respectively. According to the coating order and the nature of the TiO₂ sol-gel, four types of the TiO₂ thin films were constructed, and marked as AT (bottom layer was Ag modified, surface layer was pure TiO₂), TA (bottom layer was pure TiO₂, surface layer was Ag modified), TT (pure TiO₂ thin film) and AA (TiO₂ thin film was uniformly Ag modified). These thin films were characterized by means of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and transient photocurrent (I_ph). LSV confirmed the existence of Ag⁰ state in the TiO₂ thin film. SEM and XRD experiments indicated that the sizes of the TiO₂ nanoparticles of the resulting films were in the order of TT > AT > TA > AA, suggesting the gradient Ag distribution in the films. The SEM and XRD results also confirmed that Ag had an inhibition effect on the size growth of anatase nanoparticles. Photocatalytic activities of the resulting thin films were also evaluated in the photocatalytic degradation process of methyl orange. The preliminary results demonstrated the sequence of the photocatalytic activity of the resulting films was AT > TA > AA > TT. This suggested that the silver hierarchical configuration can be used to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ thin film.     

低成本溶胶-凝胶法制备SiO2/TiO2双层膜的减反射与自清洁性能

将玻璃基底依次在低成本的SiO₂溶胶和TiO₂溶胶中浸渍后,在500 oC下煅烧制备了同时具备减反射与自清洁性能的SiO₂/TiO₂双层膜．该膜的光学性能与结构特征分别通过紫外-可见分光光度计和场发射扫描电镜进行了表征．同时,源于超亲水性和光催化作用的自清洁性能也凸显出来．实验结果表明制备SiO₂/TiO₂双层膜对光的透射率最高可达到95%,同时具备自清洁性能．     

Preparation, characterization and visible-light photocatalytic activity of AgI/AgCl/TiO2

In this paper, a novel composite photocatalyst AgI/AgCl/TiO₂ was prepared by ion exchange method and characterized by XRD, SEM and UV-Vis spectrometry. The as-prepared AgI/AgCl/TiO₂ composites show much higher photocatalytic activity than AgCl/TiO₂ and AgI/TiO₂ under visible-light irradiation (λ > 400 nm) in the process of methyl orange (MO) degradation. When the molar percentage of AgI to initial AgCl is 20% (sample SE-20%), the maximal degradation efficiency of MO has reached 85.8% after irradiation for 120 min. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of the composite photocatalyst AgI/AgCl/TiO₂ will be attributed to its good absorption in the visible-light region, especially low recombination rate of the electron-hole pairs based on the photoluminescence (PL) spectra investigation of AgI/AgCl/TiO₂ and the matching band structures of AgI, AgCl and TiO₂. The detection of reactive species by radical scavengers displays that O₂⁻ and H₂O₂ are the main reactive species for the degradation of MO under visible-light irradiation. Moreover, PL analysis by using terephthalic acid (TA) as a probe molecule further reveals that OH can be negligible for the degradation of MO.     

Substrate effects on the oxygen gas sensing properties of SnO2/TiO2 thin films

In this study, SnO₂/TiO₂ thin films are fabricated on SiO₂/Si and Corning glass 1737 substrates using a R.F. magnetron sputtering process. The gas sensing properties of these films under an oxygen atmosphere with and without UV irradiation are carefully examined. The surface structure, morphology, optical transmission characteristics, and chemical compositions of the films are analyzed by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and PL spectrometry. It is found that the oxygen sensitivity of the films deposited on Corning glass 1737 substrates is significantly lower than that of the films grown on SiO₂/Si substrates. Therefore, the results suggest that SiO₂/Si is an appropriate substrate material for oxygen gas sensors fabricated using thin SnO₂/TiO₂ films.     

XPS investigation of diffusion of two-layer ZrO2/SiO2 and SiO2/ZrO2 sol–gel films

Two-layer ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films were deposited on K9 glass substrates by sol–gel dip coating method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique was used to investigate the diffusion of ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films. To explain the difference of diffusion between ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films, porous ratio and surface morphology of monolayer SiO₂ and ZrO₂ films were analyzed by using ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). We found that for the ZrO₂/SiO₂ films there was a diffusion layer with a certain thickness and the atomic concentrations of Si and Zr changed rapidly; for the SiO₂/ZrO₂ films, the atomic concentrations of Si and Zr changed relatively slowly, and the ZrO₂ layer had diffused through the entire SiO₂ layer. The difference of diffusion between ZrO₂/SiO₂ and SiO₂/ZrO₂ films was influenced by the microstructure of SiO₂ and ZrO₂.     

Morphology and natural wettability properties of sol-gel derived TiO2-SiO2 composite thin films

Previous studies suggest that granular interfaces induce a natural and persistent super-hydrophilicity in TiO₂-SiO₂ composite thin films deposited by sol-gel route. This effect enables to consider self-cleaning applications that do not require a permanent UV exposure, whereas such a permanent exposure is necessary for pure TiO₂ films. In this study, TiO₂-SiO₂ composite thin films have been deposited from a TiO₂ anatase crystalline suspension and different SiO₂ polymeric sols. Wettability studies show that a suitable control of the TiO₂-SiO₂ mixed sol formulations noticeably enhances persistence of the natural super-hydrophilicity in composite films. It is shown that, beside granular interface effects, modifications in the composite film morphologies can noticeably influence wettability properties.     

多孔TiO2/Al/SiO2纳米复合结构的紫外光吸收特性研究

在SiO₂玻璃衬底上用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)技术，分别沉积Ti和Ti/Al膜，经电化学阳极氧化成功制备了多孔TiO₂/SiO₂和TiO₂/Al/SiO₂纳米复合结构. 其中TiO₂薄膜上的微孔阵列高度有序，分布均匀. 实验研究了Al过渡层对多孔TiO₂薄膜光吸收特性的影响. 结果表明：无Al过渡层的多孔TiO₂薄膜其紫外吸收峰在27     

Methylene blue photoelectrodegradation under UV irradiation on Au/Pd-modified TiO2 films

In this work TiO₂ thin films were modified with gold/palladium (Au/Pd) bimetallic paticles by sputtering method. TiO₂ films were deposited on ITO (SnO₂:In) by Doctor Blade method and post-anneling. The properties of the films were studied through measurements of XRD (X-ray diffraction) and AFM (atomic force microscopy). The degradation of methylene blue was studied by UV-irradiated pure TiO₂ and Au/Pd-modified TiO₂ in aqueous solution. Langmuir-Hinshelwood model was used to obtain kinetic information. Photocatalytic study indicated that Au/Pd-modified TiO₂ photocatalytic activity was better than TiO₂ pure; the best half-life time for Au/Pd-modified TiO₂ in photodegradation was 2.8 times smaller than TiO₂ pure; finally the efficiency in methylene blue photodegradation was improved from 23% to 43% when Au/Pd-modified TiO₂ films were used.     

多孔TiO2/Al/SiO2纳米复合结构的紫外光吸收特性研究

在SiO₂玻璃衬底上用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)技术,分别沉积Ti和Ti/Al膜,经电化学阳极氧化成功制备了多孔TiO₂/SiO₂和TiO₂/Al/SiO₂纳米复合结构. 其中TiO₂薄膜上的微孔阵列高度有序,分布均匀. 实验研究了Al过渡层对多孔TiO₂薄膜光吸收特性的影响. 结果表明：无Al过渡层的多孔TiO₂薄膜其紫外吸收峰在27 关键词： 2薄膜')" href="#">多孔TiO₂薄膜 阳极氧化 紫外光吸收     

Microwave dielectric properties of (1 − x)(Mg0.95Co0.05)TiO3–x(Na0.5La0.5)TiO3 ceramic system

The microstructures and the microwave dielectric properties of the (1 − x)(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–x(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃ ceramic system were investigated. Two-phase system was confirmed by the XRD patterns and the EDX analysis. A co-existed second phase (Mg_0.95Co_0.05)Ti₂O₅ was also detected. The microwave dielectric properties are strongly related to the density and the matrix of the specimen. A new microwave dielectric material 0.88(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–0.12(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃, possessing an excellent combination of dielectric properties: ε_r  22.36, Q × f  110,000 GHz (at 9 GHz), τ_f  2.9 ppm/°C), is proposed as a candidate dielectric for GPS patch antennas.     

Influence of deposition atmosphere on photocatalytic activity of TiO2/SiOx double-layers prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

TiO₂/SiO_x double-layers have been prepared at room temperature by RF magnetron sputtering. The TiO₂ top-layer was deposited in an Ar atmosphere, while the SiO_x bottom-layer was deposited in an Ar/O₂ atmosphere. Samples were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue; the results showed that the photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂/SiO_x double-layers was superior to that of the TiO₂ single-layers. The presence of the SiO_x bottom-layer improved the photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ layer because it may act as a trap for electrons generated in the TiO₂ layer thus preventing electron-hole recombinations.     

Tunable photocatalytic selectivity of fluoropolymer PVDF modified TiO2

Fluoropolymer poly-vinylidene-fluoride modified TiO₂ (PVDF/TiO₂) were prepared via a simple chemisorption approach and characterized by thermo gravimetric analyse, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectra. The modified mechanism and the photocatalytic selectivity of the PVDF/TiO₂ were studied. The existence of Ti-F coordination bond on the interface between TiO₂ and PVDF was confirmed. For the PVDF modification, the photocatalytic degradation (PCD) of cationic dye was greatly enhanced, and the PCD of anionic dye was obviously inhibited. PVDF/TiO₂ shows high photocatalytic selectivity than that of TiO₂ by degrading mixed solution of cationic dyes MB and anionic dyes MO. The selectivity can be tuned by changing the PVDF modification amount.     

Investigation into the effects of deposition parameters on TiO2 photocatalyst thin films by rf magnetron sputtering

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalyst thin films were deposited on non-alkali glass substrates by radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering. The Taguchi method with orthogonal array, signal-to-noise ratio and analysis of variance were employed to study the performance characteristics. The experimental studies were conducted under different rf powers, sputtering pressures, O₂/(Ar+O₂) flow-rate ratios, and substrate temperatures. The deposited TiO₂ films were of the anatase phase with a (101) preferred orientation. We performed both photoinduced decomposition of methylene blue (MB) and photoinduced hydrophilicity under UV light illumination. With the optimized TiO₂ photocatalyst thin film deposition conditions, the water contact angle after 9 min UV illumination was approximately 5, the absorbance of MB was reduced to 0.2 for 240 min UV irradiation, and the deposition rate was 34.18 Å/min.     

Sputter deposition of high transparent TiO2−xNx/TiO2/ZnO layers on glass for development of photocatalytic self-cleaning application

In this study, TiO_2−xN_x/TiO₂ double layers thin film was deposited on ZnO (80 nm thickness)/soda-lime glass substrate by a dc reactive magnetron sputtering. The TiO₂ film was deposited under different total gas pressures of 1 Pa, 2 Pa, and 4 Pa with constant oxygen flow rate of 0.8 sccm. Then, the deposition was continued with various nitrogen flow rates of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 sccm in constant total gas pressure of 4 Pa. Post annealing was performed on as-deposited films at various annealing temperatures of 400, 500, and 600 °C in air atmosphere to achieve films crystallinity. The structure and morphology of deposited films were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The chemical composition of top layer doped by nitrogen was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photocatalytic activity of samples was measured by degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye. The optical transmittance of the multilayer film was also measured using ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) spectrophotometer. The results showed that by nitrogen doping of a fraction (∼1/5) of TiO₂ film thickness, the optical transmittance of TiO_2−xN_x/TiO₂ film was compared with TiO₂ thin film. Deposited films showed also good photocatalytic and hydrophilicity activity at visible light.     

Characterization of TiO2/Au/TiO2 films deposited by magnetron sputtering on polycarbonate substrates

Transparent and conducting TiO₂/Au/TiO₂ (TAuT) films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on polycarbonate substrates to investigate the effect of the Au interlayer on the optical, electrical, and structural properties of the films. In TAuT films, the Au interlayer thickness was kept at 5 nm. Although total thickness was maintained at 100 nm, the stack structure was varied as 50/5/45, 70/5/25, and 90/5/5 nm.In XRD pattern, the intermediate Au films were crystallized, while all TAuT films did not show any diffraction peaks for TiO₂ films with regardless of stack structure. The optical and electrical properties were dependent on the stack structure of the films. The lowest sheet resistance of 23 Ω/□ and highest optical transmittance of 76% at 550 nm were obtained from TiO₂ 90 nm/Au 5 nm/TiO₂ 5 nm films. The work function was dependent on the film stack. The highest work function (4.8 eV) was observed with the TiO₂ 90 nm/Au 5 nm/TiO₂ 5 nm film stack. The TAuT film stack of TiO₂ 90 nm/Au 5 nm/TiO₂ 5 nm films is an optimized stack that may be an alternative candidate for transparent electrodes in flat panel displays.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy on multi-layered cuprate superconductor Ba2Ca5Cu6O12 (O1−x Fx)2

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements on multi-layered cuprate superconductor Ba₂Ca₅Cu₆O₁₂ (O_1−x F_x)₂ are carried out. STM topographies show randomly distributed bright spot structures with a typical spot size of 0.8 nm. These bright spots are occupied about 28% per one unit cell of c-plane, which is comparable to the regular amount of apical oxygen of 20% obtained from element analysis. Tunneling spectra simultaneously show both the small and the large gap structures. These gap sizes at 4.9 K are about Δ 15 meV and 90 meV, respectively. The small gap structure disappears at the temperature close to T_C, while the large gap persists up to 200 K. Therefore, these features correspond to the superconducting gap and pseudogap, respectively. These facts give evidence for some ordered state with large energy scale even in the superconducting state. For the superconducting gap, the ratio of 2Δ/K_BT_C = 4.9 is obtained with T_C = 70 K, which is determined from temperature dependence of the tunneling spectra.     

Enhancement of photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene plastic with CuPc modified TiO2 photocatalyst under solar light irradiation

Solid-phase photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene (PE) plastic, one of the most common commercial plastic, over copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) modified TiO₂ (TiO₂/CuPc) photocatalyst was investigated in the ambient air under solar light irradiation. Higher PE weight loss rate, greater texture change; more amount of generated CO₂, which is the main product of the photocatalytic degradation of the composite PEC plastic can be achieved in the system of PE-(TiO₂/CuPc) in comparison with PE-TiO₂ system. The CuPc promoted charge separation of TiO₂ and enhanced the photocatalytic degradation of PE based on the analysis of surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS). During the photodegradation of PE plastic, the reactive oxygen species generated on TiO₂ or TiO₂/CuPc particle surfaces play important roles. The present study demonstrates that the combination of polymer plastic with TiO₂/CuPc composite photocatalyst in the form of thin film is a practical and useful way to photodegrade plastic contaminants under solar light irradiation.     

Effects of deposition rates on laser damage threshold of TiO2/SiO2 high reflectors

TiO₂ single layers and TiO₂/SiO₂ high reflectors (HR) are prepared by electron beam evaporation at different TiO₂ deposition rates. It is found that the changes of properties of TiO₂ films with the increase of rate, such as the increase of refractive index and extinction coefficient and the decrease of physical thickness, lead to the spectrum shift and reflectivity bandwidth broadening of HR together with the increase of absorption and decrease of laser-induced damage threshold. The damages are found of different morphologies: a shallow pit to a seriously delaminated and deep crater, and the different amorphous-to-anatase-to-rutile phase transition processes detected by Raman study. The frequency shift of Raman vibration mode correlates with the strain in film. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis reveals that impurities and non-stoichiometric defects are two absorption initiations resulting to the laser-induced transformation.