A facile method for fabricating TiO2@mesoporous carbon and three-layered nanocomposites

Herein, we report a new and facile method for fabricating TiO(2)@mesoporous carbon hybrid materials. Uniform polydopamine (PDA) layers were coated onto the surface of titanate nanotubes (TNTs) and TiO(2) nanorods (TNDs) through the spontaneous adhesion and self-polymerization of dopamine during the dipping process. Core-shell mesoporous carbon nanotubes with TiO(2) nanorods or nanoparticles encapsulated inside (TiO(2)@MC) were then obtained by transforming PDA layers into carbonaceous ones through calcination in nitrogen at 800 °C. The thickness of the mesoporous carbon layers is tens of nanometers and can be controlled by adjusting the coated PDA layers through the self-polymerization reaction time. In addition, three-layered nanocomposites of TiO(2)@MC@MO (MO, metal oxide) can be readily prepared by utilizing PDA layers in TNTs@PDA or TNDs@PDA to adsorb the metal ions, followed by the calcination process.     

Layer-by-Layer assembly of TiO2 nanoparticles for stable hydrophilic biocompatible coatings

Stable, super-hydrophilic (water contact angle approximately equal to 0 degrees) titanium dioxide nanoparticle thin films have been obtained on substrates with different initial wettability such as glass, poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(dimethyl siloxane) using layer-by-layer nano-assembly method. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were alternated with poly(styrene sulfonate) to form films of thickness ranging from 11 nm to 220 nm. The hydrophilicity of these thin films increases with increasing number of deposited PSS/TiO2 bilayers. It was found that 2, 5 and 20 layers were needed to form super-hydrophilic TiO2 coating on glass, PMMA and PDMS respectively. Oxygen plasma treatment of substrate surfaces enhanced the formation of homogeneous TiO2 films and accelerated the formation of hydrophilic layers. Super-hydrophilicity has been shown to be unique to PSS/TiO2 films as compared with other polyelectrolyte/nanoparticle layers, and UV irradiation may restore hydrophilicity even after months of storing of the samples. Biocompatibility of TiO2 nanoparticle films has been demonstrated by the successful cell culture of human dermal fibroblast.     

Ultraviolet-enhanced wettability and bioactivity of self-organized TiO2 nanotube layer

TiO2 nanotube layers were prepared by anodic oxidation of commercial pure Ti in aqueous solutions containing 1 M (NH4)2SO4 and 0.15 M NH4F at 20 V for 2 h. The as-anodized layers were annealed at 450 degrees C for 3 h, and a part of the annealed layers were subsequently irradiated by Ultraviolet (UV) light in air for 2 h at room temperature. Hydrophilicity and the apatite-forming ability of TiO2 nanotube layers were evaluated. The results show that the as-anodized layer consists of self-organized TiO2 nanotubes with amorphous structure, which transforms to anatase after annealing at 450 degrees C for 3 h. The annealing treatment of the nanotube layer can significantly enhance its hydrophilicity and bioactivity. Furthermore, UV irradiation of the annealed TiO2 nanotube layer does not alter its surface morphology and phase component, however, can improve hydrophilicity and bioactivity. The enhanced hydrophilicity and bioactivity are thought to result from the abundant basic Ti-OH groups on the UV-irradiated TiO2 nanotube layer.     

Fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using different particle sizes of TiO2 deposited via nano-particle deposition system (NPDS)

TiO2 layers were fabricated using a nano-particle deposition system (NPDS) on transparent conductive oxide (TCO) glass for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Conventionally, TiO2 paste for working electrodes has been fabricated using paste type methods. The fabricated paste composed of a mixture of nano-sized TiO2 powders, binders and solutions is then painted on TCO glass. After drying, the TiO2 layer on TCO glass is sintered to make a path for electron transfer. TiO2 layers formed by this paste type method require numerous steps, which can be time consuming. In this study, TiO2 powders were sprayed directly on TCO glass using NPDS in order to simplify the fabrication steps. To improve porosity and produce scattering layers, commercial nanocrystalline TiO, powders with different sizes were alternately deposited. Moreover, powders with different sizes were mixed and deposited on the TCO glass. The results indicate that the DSSCs with a TiO2 layer composed of different particle sizes had better cell performance than the cells assembled with single-sized TiO2 particles. Therefore, this study shows that a dry TiO2 coating process is possible for DSSC fabrication to improve its cell efficiencies, and this method can easily be applied on flexible substrates since NPDS is a room-temperature deposition process.     

An unconventional route to high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells via embedding graphitic thin films into TiO2 nanoparticle photoanode

Graphitic thin films embedded with highly dispersed titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles were incorporated for the first time into the conventional dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), resulting in a remarkably improved cell efficiency due to its superior electron conductivity. Massively ordered arrays of TiO(2) dots embedded in carbon matrix were fabricated via UV-stabilization of polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) films containing TiO(2) precursors followed by direct carbonization. For dye-sensitized TiO(2) based solar cells containing carbon/TiO(2) thin layers at both sides of pristine TiO(2) layer, an increase of 62.3% [corrected] in overall power conversion efficiency was achieved compared with neat TiO(2)-based DSSCs. Such a remarkably improved cell efficiency was ascribed to the superior electron conductivity and extended electron lifetime elucidated by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy.     

TiO2膜/硅胶复合微球的制备及光催化性能

采用硅胶微球为载体,以TiO2溶胶为涂膜液,制备TiO2膜/硅胶复合微球,用XRD,FT-IR和显微镜等对催化剂的物相、形貌行了表征,并考察其对甲基橙溶液的光催化降解性能.结果表明:TiO2膜和硅胶微球之间存在化学键合作用,涂膜5层微球粒径为0.5～3mm,呈白色,水溶液中透明,是理想的光催化材料.其光催化性能随涂膜层数和催化剂用量的增加而增大,涂膜的5层微球甲基橙降解率可达85%.     

Low-temperature Preparation of Photocatalytic TiO2 Thin Films on Polymer Substrates by Direct Deposition from Anatase Sol

Anatase TiO2 sol was synthesized under mild conditions （75℃ and ambient pressure） by hydrolysis of titaniumn-butoxide in abundant acidic aqueous solution and subsequent reflux to enhance crystallization. At room temperature and in ambient atmosphere, crystalline TiO2 thin films were deposited on polymethylmethacrylate （PMMA）, SiO2-coated PMMA and SiO2-coated silicone rubber substrates from the as-prepared TiO2 sol by a dip-coating process. SiO2 layers prior to TiO2 thin films on polymer substrates could not only protect the substrates from the photocatalytic decomposition of the TiO2 thin films but also enhance the adhesion of the TiO2 thin films to the substrates. Field-emission type scanning electron microscope （FE-SEM） investigations revealed that the average particle sizes of the nanoparticles composing the TiO2 thin films were about 35-47 nm. The TiO2 thin films exhibited high photocatalytic activities in the degradation of reactive brilliant red dye X-3B in aqueous solution under aerated conditions. The preparation process of photocatalytic TiO2 thin films on the polymer substrates was quite simple and a low temperature route.     

Al2O3 and TiO2 atomic layer deposition on copper for water corrosion resistance

Al(2)O(3) and TiO(2) atomic layer deposition (ALD) were employed to develop an ultrathin barrier film on copper to prevent water corrosion. The strategy was to utilize Al(2)O(3) ALD as a pinhole-free barrier and to protect the Al(2)O(3) ALD using TiO(2) ALD. An initial set of experiments was performed at 177 °C to establish that Al(2)O(3) ALD could nucleate on copper and produce a high-quality Al(2)O(3) film. In situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements verified that Al(2)O(3) ALD nucleated and grew efficiently on copper-plated quartz crystals at 177 °C using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water as the reactants. An electroplating technique also established that the Al(2)O(3) ALD films had a low defect density. A second set of experiments was performed for ALD at 120 °C to study the ability of ALD films to prevent copper corrosion. These experiments revealed that an Al(2)O(3) ALD film alone was insufficient to prevent copper corrosion because of the dissolution of the Al(2)O(3) film in water. Subsequently, TiO(2) ALD was explored on copper at 120 °C using TiCl(4) and water as the reactants. The resulting TiO(2) films also did not prevent the water corrosion of copper. Fortunately, Al(2)O(3) films with a TiO(2) capping layer were much more resilient to dissolution in water and prevented the water corrosion of copper. Optical microscopy images revealed that TiO(2) capping layers as thin as 200 ? on Al(2)O(3) adhesion layers could prevent copper corrosion in water at 90 °C for ~80 days. In contrast, the copper corroded almost immediately in water at 90 °C for Al(2)O(3) and ZnO films by themselves on copper. Ellipsometer measurements revealed that Al(2)O(3) films with a thickness of ~200 ? and ZnO films with a thickness of ~250 ? dissolved in water at 90 °C in ~10 days. In contrast, the ellipsometer measurements confirmed that the TiO(2) capping layers with thicknesses of ~200 ? on the Al(2)O(3) adhesion layers protected the copper for ~80 days in water at 90 °C. The TiO(2) ALD coatings were also hydrophilic and facilitated H(2)O wetting to copper wire mesh substrates.     

Enhancement of photovoltaic performance in dye-sensitized solar cells with the spin-coated TiO2 blocking layer

The TiO2 thin film layers were introduced with the spin-coating method between FTO electrode and TiO2 photoanode in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) to prevent electron back migration from the FTO electrode to electrolyte. The DSSC containg different thickness of TiO2 thin film (10-30, 40-60 and 120-150 nm) were prepared and photovoltaic performances were analysed with /-Vcurves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The maximum cell performance was observed in DSSC with 10-30 nm of TiO2 thin film thickness (11.92 mA/cm2, 0.74 V, 64%, and 5.62%) to compare with that of pristine DSSC (11.09 mA/cm2, 0.65 V, 62%, and 4.43%). The variation of photoelectric conversion efficiency of the DSSCs with different TiO2 thin film thickness was discussed with the analysis of crystallographic and microstructural properties of TiO2 thin films.     

Characterization of Sol-gel-derived TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 Films for Biomedical Applications

In order to improve the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of NiTi surgical alloy, TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 thin films were prepared by sol-gel method. The surface characteristics of the film, which include surface composition, microstructure and surface morphology, were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), respectively. A scratching test was used to assess the interface adhesive strength between the film and substrate. The corrosion resistance of NiTi alloy coated with oxide films were studied by anodic polarization curves measurement in biological solution. Additionally, a preliminary study of the in vitro bioactivity of the films was conducted. The results indicated that TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 (Ti/Si=4:1) films have higher electrochemical corrosion resistance and can be used as protective layers on NiTi alloy. In addition, TiO2-SiO2 composite films have better bioactivity than TiO2 film.     

医用NiTi合金表面溶胶-凝胶法制备TiO2-SiO2薄膜

采用溶胶－凝胶法在ＮｉＴｉ形状记忆合金表面制备了ＴｉＯ_２－ＳｉＯ_２复合薄膜,在提高医用ＮｉＴｉ合金的抗腐蚀性方面,收到了显著的效果．运用电化学方法对不同组成的ＴｉＯ_２－ＳｉＯ_２薄膜在模拟体液中的腐蚀行为进行了研究,结果表明,随薄膜中 Ｔｉ／Ｓｉ比的增加,ＴｉＯ_２－ＳｉＯ_２薄膜的抗腐蚀性增强．划痕试验表明 ＴｉＯ_２－ＳｉＯ_２（Ｔｉ／Ｓｉ＝４：１）膜与ＮｉＴｉ合金基体具有较高的界面结合强度．用原子力显微镜（ＡＦＭ）对ＴｉＯ_２－ＳｉＯ_２薄膜的表面形貌及表面粗糙度进行观察和分析,解释并讨论了ＴｉＯ_２－ＳｉＯ_２薄膜的配方组成与其抗腐蚀性的关系,ＳｉＯ_２含量较少时,薄膜结构致密,膜层均匀平滑,且膜基结合力好,作为医用ＮｉＴｉ合金的表面保护层,可以使其耐腐蚀性有显著提高．     

Effectiveness of nitrogen incorporation to enhance the photoelectrochemical activity of nanostructured TiO2:NH3 versus H2-N2 annealing

Highly ordered TiO(2) nanohole layers were synthesized by anodic oxidation of titanium foils using ethylene glycol and ammonium fluoride as the electrolyte. The effectiveness of different methods, namely annealing at 500?°C in NH(3) and in H(2) diluted in N(2), to incorporate nitrogen into TiO(2) and thus extend its photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity to the visible range was studied. The intra-gap levels introduced by both processes were identified by means of XPS and PL measurements. Water splitting experiments demonstrated that annealing in H(2) improved the photocatalytic activity of pure TiO(2), while annealing in ammonia led to a decrease in the PEC performance.     

Low-Loss Dielectric Mirror with Ion-Beam-Sputtered TiO 2-SiO 2 Mixed Films

Ion-beam-sputtered TiO(2)-SiO(2) mixed films with 17% SiO(2) concentration were used as high-refractive-index layers in a multilayered-stack dielectric mirror. Experimental results indicated that total loss of the as-deposited mirror was 34% lower than that of the as-deposited conventional mirrors with pure TiO(2) films used as high-refractive-index layers. In addition, annealing reduced total loss of the mirrors. Although decreasing with an increasing annealing temperature, total loss of the conventional mirrors dramatically increased above ~200 degrees C annealing temperature, owing to increased scattering from an amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition in the TiO(2) films. In addition, total loss of the mirrors with the mixed films continuously decreased with an increasing annealing temperature up to 400 degrees C without the phase transition. Total loss was reduced 88% by means of decreasing absorption in the mixed films. Moreover, the annealed mirror with mixed films was better than both the as-deposited mirror and the conventional mirror with pure films in terms of laser-damage resistance.     

Quantum confinement in amorphous TiO(2) films studied via atomic layer deposition

Despite the significant recent increase in quantum-based optoelectronics device research, few deposition techniques can reliably create the required functional nanoscale systems. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used here to study the quantum effects attainable through the use of this ?ngstr?m-level controlled growth process. Size-dependent quantum confinement has been demonstrated using TiO(2) layers of nanoscale thickness applied to the surfaces of silicon wafers. TiO(2) films were deposited at 100?°C using TiCl(4) and H(2)O(2) in a viscous flow ALD reactor, at a rate of 0.61??/cycle. The low-temperature process was utilized to guarantee the amorphous deposition of TiO(2) layers and post-deposition thermal annealing was employed to promote crystallite-size modification. Hydrogen peroxide significantly reduced the residual chlorine that remained from a typical TiCl(4)-H(2)O ALD process at this temperature, down to 1.6%. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to quantify the optical properties both below and above the bandgap energy. A central composite design was employed to map the surface response of the film thickness-dependent bandgap shift for the as-deposited case and up to a thermal annealing temperature of 550?°C. The Brus model was used to develop a correlation between the amorphous TiO(2) film thickness and the quantum length to promote equivalent bandgap shifts.     

Passivation of pigment-grade TiO(2) particles by nanothick atomic layer deposited SiO(2) films

Pigment-grade TiO(2) particles were passivated using nanothick insulating films fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Conformal SiO(2) and Al(2)O(3) layers were coated onto anatase and rutile powders in a fluidized bed reactor. SiO(2) films were deposited using tris-dimethylaminosilane (TDMAS) and H(2)O(2) at 500?°C. Trimethylaluminum and water were used as precursors for Al(2)O(3) ALD at 177?°C. The photocatalytic activity of anatase pigment-grade TiO(2) was decreased by 98% after the deposition of 2?nm SiO(2) films. H(2)SO(4) digest tests were performed to exhibit the pinhole-free nature of the coatings and the TiO(2) digest rate was 40 times faster for uncoated TiO(2) than SiO(2) coated over a 24?h period. Mass spectrometry was used to monitor reaction progress and allowed for dosing time optimization. These results demonstrate that the TDMAS-H(2)O(2) chemistry can deposit high quality, fully dense SiO(2) films on high radius of curvature substrates. Particle ALD is a viable passivation method for pigment-grade TiO(2) particles.     

二氧化钛过渡层对脉冲激光沉积钛酸锶钡薄膜微结构和介电性质的影响

选取极薄Ti02作为过渡层,采用脉冲激光沉积法分别在Si(100)和Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100)基底上制备了Bao.6Sro.4TiO3(BST)薄膜,研究过渡层对BST薄膜微结构及电学性质的影响.发现厚度20纳米以内的锐钛矿相结晶TiO2过渡层可使BST薄膜由无规则取向转变为(111)择优取向,而非晶和较厚TiO2过渡层对BST薄膜的取向无影响.结晶的TiO2过渡层也使薄膜的表面颗粒变细.还研究了不同厚度TiO2对BST薄膜电学性质的影响,结果表明BST薄膜在Pt(111)底电极上加入极薄的结晶TiO2过渡层后电学性质有明显改善,薄膜的介电常数和可调谐度提高,而介电损耗降低.加入膜厚约5nm的TiO2过渡层后,测试频率为10 kHz时薄膜相应介电常数、介电损耗及可调谐度分别为513、0.053和36.7%.     

Al2O3/TiO2 multilayer passivation layers grown at low temperature for flexible organic devices

In this study, the permeability of passivation layers consisting of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and titanium oxide (TiO2) was examined. The films were deposited on poly(ether sulfone) (PES) substrates via electron cyclotron resonance atomic layer deposition (ECR-ALD) at various deposition temperatures. The optimum plasma power and deposition temperature were investigated through measurements of the refractive index and packing density of the Al2O3 and TiO2 films. A buffer layer/multilayer structure was proposed in this study to improve the passivation barrier performance. A low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of approximately 5 x 10(-3) g/m2 x day was achieved with two Al2O3/TiO2 stacks with thicknesses of 40 nm deposited at 80 degrees C. Based on the Arrhenius rate equation, the activation energy of water vapor transmission through different passivation structures was examined. The activation energies of Al2O3, Al2O3/TiO2, and two Al2O3/TiO2 stacks with thicknesses of 40 nm were 51.8, 63.9, and 74.7 kJ/mol, respectively.     

Effects of the nano-tubular anodic TiO2 buffer layer on bioactive hydroxyapatite coating

We studied the effect of nano-tubular anodic TiO2 buffer layers on hydroxyapatite (HA) coating. The pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method was used to deposit HA on a well arranged nano-tubular anodic TiO2 (NT-ATO) buffer layer prepared by an electrochemical anodization technique. The surface morphology and chemical composition of HA coatings were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and contact angle measurement. We found that crystalline HA coatings show well arranged porous morphologies with a favorable surface wettability. We also found that an anodic nano-tubular TiO2 buffer layer with a relatively short tube length shows a better coating morphology. The deposition process of HA on the nanotubular TiO2 buffer layer was also proposed.     

Self-standing crystalline TiO2 nanotubes/CNTs heterojunction membrane: synthesis and characterization

In the present study, we report for the first time synthesis of TiO(2) nanotubes/CNTs heterojunction membrane. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of CNTs at 650 °C in a mixture of H(2)/He atmosphere led to in situ detachment of the anodically fabricated TiO(2) nanotube layers from the Ti substrate underneath. Morphological and structural evolution of TiO(2) nanotubes after CNTs deposition were investigated by field- emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses.     

Suppressed recombination in quantum dot-sensitized solar cells with blocking layers on FTO substrates

The compact and thin TiO2 blocking layers (c-TiO2) were formed on F-doped SnO2 (FTO) substrate in quantum dots-sensitized solar cells (QSSCs) by chemical deposition. The c-TiO2 layers induced indirect contact between electrolyte and FTO electrode, which reduced leakage in QSSCs. The QSSCs showed power conversion efficiency (Eff) of 3.85% in the presence of c-TiO2 layers which leads to 21% improved compared to that without c-TiO2 layers (Eff = 3.18%). The presence of the c-TiO2 layers in QSSCs also improved the stability under illumination.