To obtain porous and thick TiO2 film, the precursor sol was prepared by hydrolysis of Ti isopropoxide and then complexed with trehalose dihydrate. The porous TiO2 film was fabricated by dip-coating technique on quartz glass substrates using this sol. The TiO2 films were calcined at 500-700 °C. The photocatalytic activity of the films was evaluated by examining decomposition of methylene blue in aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The TiO2 film prepared from the sol with trehalose was more active than TiO2 film prepared from the sol without trehalose. The trehalose addition to the dip-coating solution was effective in improving the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 film.
Influence of the OH groups on the photocatalytic activity and photoinduced hydrophilicity of microwave assisted sol–gel TiO2 film