Synthesis and Characterization of Ag/TiO2 Thin Film via Sol-Gel Method
Ag/TiO2thin films were prepared via sol-gel spin coating method. Structural, surface morphology and optical properties were investigated with the addition of two different amount of silver (Ag). X-ray diffraction pattern shows the sample with pure TiO2, the only phase presence was brookite TiO2. When the Ag content added into the solution, the phase existed for the samples with TiO2doped 0.5g Ag and TiO2doped 1.0g Ag were anatase TiO2with no peak corresponds to Ag phase. The surface morphology of film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The films were annealed at 450 °C and it shows non-uniform films. The films have a large flaky and cracks film which was attributed to surface tension between the film and the air during the drying process. When the solution of sol was added with Ag content, it shows the porous structure with flaky-crack films. With the increasing of the Ag content from 0.5g to 1.0g, the structure is more porous and it is good for the photocatalytic activity. The UV-Vis spectra shows that the film exhibits a low absorbance which was due to the substrate is inhomogeneously covered by the flaky-crack films.