X-ray diffraction study of TiO2 thin films on mica

Thin layers of polycrystalline TiO₂ were deposited on flaky muscovite and phlogopite particles. Deposition was performed in water slurry using aqueous TiCl₄ as titanium source. The effect of heat treatments on the structure of TiO₂ thin films was investigated at different layer thicknesses. On muscovite mica the films crystallized as anatase TiO₂. On phlogopite mica the increasing layer thickness favored partial rutile formation at higher calcination temperatures, although the films could not be converted to pure rutile. The preferred orientation of the TiO₂ films was evident. The most intense reflections were measured from (004) and (105) planes. The crystallite size of TiO₂ was strongly dependent on calcination temperature and TiO₂ layer thickness. It varied between 15 and 47 nm for films deposited on phlogopite, and 15 and 57 nm for films deposited on muscovite.