Mesocrystal TiO2 films: In-situ Topotactic Transformation and Application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Thin film ceramics and semiconductors play an important role in energy- and environment- related areas such as photovoltaics, energy storage and water purification. The morphology and structure of materials significantly...

Atomic layer deposition for rutile structure TiO2 thin films using a SnO2 seed layer and low temperature heat treatment

We study the rutile-TiO2 film deposition with a high-k value using a SnO2 seed layer and a low temperature heat treatment. Generally, heat treatment over 600 ℃ is required to obtain the rutile-TiO2 film. However, By using a SnO2 seed layer, we obtained rutile-TiO2 films with heat treatments as low as 400 ℃. The XPS analysis confirms that the SnO2 and TiO2 film were deposited. The XRD analysis showed that a heat treatment at 400 ℃ after depositing the SnO2 and TiO2 films was effective in obtaining the rutile-TiO2 film when the SnO2 film was thicker than 10nm. The TEM / EDX analysis show that no diffusion in the thin film between TiO2 and SnO2. The dielectric constant of the TiO2 film deposited on the SnO2 film (20 nm) was 68, which was more than twice as high as anatase TiO2 dielectric constant. The current density was 10-4A/cm2 at 0.7 V and this value confirmed that the leakage current was not affected by the SnO2 seed layer.

Magnetron sputtered TiO2 with metal NPs for plasmonic applications

This work is aimed at finding the optimal technological modes for the deposition of TiO2 films by reactive magnetron sputtering for use as a photoactive material in plasmonic applications. The structural and optical parameters of films obtained at different ratios of oxygen in a mixture of working gases were studied. On the basis of the obtained experimental results, a numerical simulation of the spectral characteristics of the TiO2 / NP structure of the metals silver and gold was carried out.

Floating Carbon-Doped TiO2 Photocatalyst with Metallic Underlayers Investigation for Polluted Water Treatment under Visible-Light Irradiation

In the current study, we analysed the influence of metallic underlayers on carbon-doped TiO2 films for RhB decomposition and Salmonella typhimurium inactivation under visible-light irradiation. All the experiments were divided into two parts. First, layered M/C-doped-TiO2 film structures (M = Ni, Nb, Cu) were prepared by magnetron sputtering technique on borosilicate glass substrates in the two-step deposition process. The influence of metal underlayer on the formation of the carbon-doped TiO2 films was characterised by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, and atomic force microscope. The comparison between the visible-light assisted photocatalytic activity of M/C-doped TiO2 structures was performed by the photocatalytic bleaching tests of Rhodamine B dye aqueous solution. The best photocatalytic performance was observed for Ni/C-doped-TiO2 film combination. During the second part of the study, the Ni/C-doped-TiO2 film combination was deposited on high-density polyethylene beads which were selected as a floating substrate. The morphology and surface chemical analyses of the floating photocatalyst were performed. The viability and membrane permeability of Salmonella typhimurium were tested in cycling experiments under UV-B and visible-light irradiation. Three consecutive photocatalytic treatments of fresh bacteria suspensions with the same set of floating photocatalyst showed promising results, as after the third 1 h-long treatment bacteria viability was still reduced by 90% and 50% for UV-B and visible-light irradiation, respectively. The membrane permeability and ethidium fluorescence results suggest that Ni underlayer might have direct and indirect effect on the bacteria inactivation process. Additionally, relatively low loss of the photocatalyst efficiency suggests that floating C-doped TiO2 photocatalyst with the Ni underlayer might be seen as the possible solution for the used photocatalyst recovery issue.

Photocatalytic Properties of a Novel Keratin char-TiO2Composite Films Made through the Calcination of Wool Keratin Coatings Containing TiO2 Precursors

In this study, the photocatalytic properties of novel keratin char-TiO2 composite films, made through the calcination of wool keratin coatings containing TiO2 precursors at 400 °C, were investigated for the photodegradation of organic contaminants under visible light irradiation. Its structural characteristics and photocatalytic performance were systematically examined. It was shown that a self-cleaning hydrophobic keratin char-TiO2 composite film containing meso- and micro-pores was formed after the keratin—TiO2 precursors coating was calcined. In comparison with calcinated TiO2 films, the keratin char-TiO2 composite films doped with the elements of C, N, and S from keratins resulted in decreased crystallinity and a larger water contact angle. The bandgap of the char-TiO2 composite films increased slightly from 3.26 to 3.32 eV, and its separation of photogenerated charge carriers was inhibited to a certain degree. However, it exhibited higher photodegradation efficiency to methyl blue (MB) effluents than the pure calcinated TiO2 films. This was mainly because of its special porous structure, large water contact angle, and high adsorption energy towards organic pollutants, confirmed by the density functional theory calculations. The main active species were 1O2 radicals in the MB photodegradation process.