Investigation of DC magnetron-sputtered TiO2 coatings: Effect of coating thickness, structure, and morphology on photocatalytic activity

Abstract

The photocatalytic performance of magnetron-sputtered titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) coatings of different thickness in anatase crystalline structure deposited on aluminium 1050 alloy substrates was investigated using a combination of photo-electrochemistry, methylene blue decomposition, and microscopic and spectroscopic methods, such as high resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry. The reaction resistance was measured by AC impedance, while photocurrent measurements were carried out using the zero resistance ammetry (ZRA) method. The results showed that the A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 2 increased with increased coating thickness, though more rapidly over a range of 100 -500 nm thickness. The dielectric constant also increased linearly with coating thickness

Controllable synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles employing substrate/dielectrophoresis/sol‐gel

“…Moreover, when TiO 2 is illuminated, the electrons and holes are generated . Because of the crystals get larger, the hole/electron recombination is reduced . Enough electrons and holes help improving the photocatalytic activity.…”

In‐depth structural and chemical characterization of engineered TiO2 films

“…The sputtering chamber was equipped with four Ti targets (purity 99.5 wt.%). The depositions were carried out in an oxygen atmosphere resulting in stoichiometric TiO 2 coatings …”

“…The development of TiO 2 coatings for new and improved technical applications, such as photocatalysis and dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSC), requires detailed understanding of the relationship between the product performance and the physico‐chemical properties of the TiO 2 films. Fabrication of TiO 2 films with adjustable parameters like crystallinity, porosity, or film thickness by a multitude of synthesis techniques is reported in many recent publications. Besides high reproducibility of synthesis routes for the production of TiO 2 coatings with tailored properties, accurate analyses of the physico‐chemical properties of the TiO 2 films are required for a better understanding of the relationship between TiO 2 films performance and physico‐chemical properties.…”

Nanostructure and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 films deposited at low temperature by pulsed PECVD

“…These films can be prepared by using different methods including sol-gel method [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19], which is the most often used to synthesize TiO 2 thin films for photocatalytic applications. However other strategies were also largely investigated, such as liquid phase deposition [20], magnetron sputtering [21][22][23], atomic layer deposition [24], spray pyrolysis [25], chemical vapor deposition [26], metalorganic chemical vapor deposition [27] and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) [28][29][30][31][32]. Each method may lead to the growth of particular structure and film morphology, which may be quite distinctive and very difficult to repeat with another method.…”