No abstract

In this work, TiO2‐SiO2‐x%Al2O3 (x = 0–50) nanocomposite thin films (NCTFs) with high purity, relatively homogeneity, high transmittance, excellent hardness, and crack‐free were synthesized successfully by a spin‐coating technique. It was demonstrated that the transmittance and the hardness of TiO2‐SiO2‐x%Al2O3 NCTFs are strongly affected by the Al2O3 content. The highest transmittance of 90.9% in the visible region (400 to 800 nm) and the excellent hardness and scratch resistance with a maximum hardness value of 7 Mohs and 11.8 GPa of nanoindentation and a critical scratch load of 47.6 mN for the TiO2‐SiO2‐30%Al2O3 NCTF annealed at 500°C in the air for 3 h was achieved. A hardness enhancement mechanism was proposed and discussed in detail. The obtained results show that the fabricated TiO2‐SiO2‐Al2O3 NCTFs have a great potential for anti‐scratch resistance surface applications.