Surface characterization of titanium oxide films synthesized by ion beam enhanced deposition

In this article, titanium oxide films were prepared by ion beam enhanced deposition where titanium was evaporated by electron beam and simultaneously bombarded with xenon ion beams at an energy of 40 keV in an O₂ environment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy were used to research the chemical state and composition of the titanium oxide films. The results show that surface of the film was fully oxidized. After the surface was removed by argon ion sputtering, the results show that Ti²⁺, Ti³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ states exist on the sputtered surface. The atomic concentration of all the three titanium states were calculated. The chemical shift of O 1s peak was also observed on the near surface.     

Reactive magnetron sputtering of indium tin oxide films on acrylics – morphology and bonding state

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on acrylics by low temperature reactive magnetron sputtering. The effects of oxygen flow and bias voltage on the microstructure, surface morphology and bonding state of films were evaluated. In this investigation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Atomic force microscope were used. It was found that the grain size of ITO films increased and surface roughness decreased with the increase of oxygen flow rate. The XPS spectra of In 3d and Sn 3d indicated that the oxygen flow had little effect on the binding energy of ITO films. The relative strength of O²⁻_II increased, while that of O²⁻_I decreased with increasing oxygen flow rate. The grain size increased with the bias voltage. However, at a maximum voltage of −90 V fine grains were detected due to the formation of numerous nuclei resulting from bombardment of high energy particles. The bias voltage had little effect on the bonding state of In, Sn and O ions.     

The influence of substrate chemistry on the adhesion of electrolessly deposited Ni(P) on metal oxide coated ceramics

The adhesion of electrolessly deposited Ni(P) on alumina ceramic substrates which were coated with thin SiO₂, SnO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃, ZrO₂ and (In,Sn)O_x (ITO) films was studied. The adhesion was measured with the aid of the 90° peel test. Strong adhesion of Ni(P) was found for the substrates with ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ coatings and weak adhesion for the substrates with SiO₂, TiO₂, SnO₂, Y₂O₃ and ITO coatings. The fracture path and the type of interfacial bonding were analysed using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the case of the strongly adhering samples, fracture took place through the metal layer and along the interface. In the case of the weakly adhering samples only interfacial failure was observed between the Ni(P) layer and the metal oxide coating. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy studies of the interfaces suggested that the differences in peel energy values are caused by differences in micromechanical interlocking at the metal oxide-Ni(P) interface. In addition, a weak boundary layer which was found to be present at the Ni(P)-alumina interface was absent in the case of the strongly adhering samples with the ZrO₂ substrate coating.     

TiO2(B)表面修饰富锂层状氧化物Li(Li0.17Ni0.2Mn0.58Co0.05)O2正极材料

采用喷雾干燥法和沉淀法, 制备了表面修饰TiO₂(B) (2wt%、4wt%、6wt%和8wt%)的富锂层状氧化物Li(Li_0.17Ni_0.2Mn_0.58Co_0.05)O₂正极材料。X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)结构测试分析结果表明, 修饰TiO₂(B)后样品的体相结构仍然保持初始样品的层状结构, 仅氧化物颗粒表面附着有少量TiO₂(B)纳米晶。示差扫描量热测试(DSC)表明, 与初始样品比较, 修饰TiO₂(B)后样品的热稳定性得到明显改善。在2.0~4.8 V范围内进行恒流电化学性能测试。研究显示, 在0.1C(1C=300 mA/g)倍率下, 修饰4wt%TiO₂(B)样品的首次放电比容量可达296.4 mAh/g, 首次库伦效率则由初始样品的77.7%提升到修饰TiO₂(B)后样品的84.3%, 100周循环后电极容量保持率由初始样品的69.5%提升到修饰TiO₂(B)后样品的80.2%。即使在阶梯倍率的2C倍率下, 修饰4wt%TiO₂(B)的样品仍具有较高的电化学容量(166.5 mAh/g)。以上研究结果表明, 表面修饰TiO₂(B)纳米晶可以显著改善富锂层状氧化物Li(Li_0.17Ni_0.2Mn_0.58Co_0.05)O₂的热稳定性和电化学性能。     

Characterization of indium tin oxide film and practical ITO film by electron microscopy

In order to clarify the structure of indium oxide film containing tin and tin oxides, various In₂O₃ based films prepared by vacuum evaporation were studied using high-resolution electron microscope (HREM). Indium tin oxide (ITO) film was composed of In₂O₃ and SnO. SnO crystal also contained (110) or (101) crystallographic shear (CS) structures that indicate excess amounts of tin. The CS structure was also found in a commercial ITO film having the resistivity of 2×10⁻⁴ Ω cm.     

Influence of substrate properties on the growth of titanium films: part III

The growth of thin Ti-oxide films (12 nm) on alumina substrate films formed by reactive evaporation of Ti in an oxygen atmosphere was studied by in situ internal stress measurements under ultra high vacuum conditions and transmission electron microscopy. Oxygen pressure and substrate temperatures were the varied parameters of the reactive evaporation. These Ti-oxide-films with different oxygen content (O₂/Ti-films) were then used as substrate films for the deposition of a clean titanium film. The growth stress of the titanium film on the as-deposited O₂/Ti-substrate films is comparable with that previously found for H₂O/Ti-substrates and indicates island growth and the formation of polycrystalline titanium films. Annealing (400°C, 20 min) of the as-deposited – amorphous – O₂/Ti-films gives rise to the formation of crystalline TiO₂. The amount of TiO₂ formed during annealing is strongly dependent on the oxygen content of the O₂/Ti-film. The oxygen content, in return, is dependent on oxygen partial pressure and substrate temperature during O₂/Ti-film deposition. The corresponding changes in the substrate film properties (oxygen content, crystallinity, etc.) are reflected in significant changes in the growth stress of the titanium film. The stress vs. thickness curve of these titanium films appears to indicate a superposition of the growth stress of two different growth modes, i.e. growth of a polycrystalline film with island growth on the as-deposited, amorphous oxide substrate and epitaxial growth of a quasi single crystalline film on the crystalline TiO₂-substrate.     

Effect of SnO2 on the photocatalytical properties of TiO2 films

TiO₂/SnO₂ thin films with different tin atomic percentages were successfully prepared on glass substrates by the spray pyrolysis method from an alcoholic solution of TiO[C₅H₇O₂]₂ with different concentrations of SnCl₄. The TiO₂/SnO₂ thin films prepared at 450 °C presented the anatase phase in polycrystalline configuration from %Sn = 0 in the starting solution up to %Sn = 20, at higher tin content the films present an amorphous configuration. The resulting thin films have a homogeneous surface structure with some porosity. The photocatalytical properties of the films were evaluated with the degradation of methylene blue. The products of the degradation reaction were identified by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and the film properties were studied by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction.     

Growth and characterization of AP-MOCVD iron doped titanium dioxide thin films

Atmospheric pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (AP-MOCVD) was used to prepare iron doped titanium dioxide thin films. Thin films, between 40 and 150 nm thick, were deposited on Si, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ substrates using titanium tetra isopropoxide and ferrocene as metal organic precursors. TiO₂ iron doping was achieved in the range of 1–4 at.%. The film morphology and thickness, polycrystalline texture and doping content were studied using respectively scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The influence of growth temperature, deposition time, substrate type and dopant partial pressure were studied. Electrical characterizations of the films were also performed.     

Characterization and properties of r.f.-sputtered thin films of the alumina–titania system

Thin films of the aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃)–titanium oxide (TiO₂) system including Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and Al₂O₃/TiO₂ were prepared by radio-frequency (r.f.) magnetron sputtering using ceramic targets of Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and Al₂O₃/TiO₂ composites with different Al₂O₃/TiO₂ ratio. These films were studied at different substrate temperatures, r.f. powers, and annealing temperatures. Composition, microstructure, thermomechanical property of internal stress, and mechanical property of scratch adhesion, were evaluated. A thin film with a dielectric constant of 62 and a loss tangent of 0.012 was obtained at 500 °C from a 10/90 target. This thin film remained the high dielectric constant of TiO₂, but had an improvement in the dielectric loss tangent. Al₂O₃-containing films had a higher resistivity and breakdown field, which was improved further by annealing. Optical properties, such as refractive index and optical transmittance, were also investigated.     

Growth and structural characterisation of vanadium oxide ultrathin films on TiO2 (110)

The research activity of our group in the last few years has mainly been devoted to the study of ultrathin vanadium oxide films deposited on a (110)-oriented TiO₂ single crystal, in order to prepare systems which may be largely thought of as simplified models for the investigation of the structure/properties relationships in real world catalysts, sensing and optical devices. The main objective of our work consists of setting up reproducible synthesis routes for the deposition of vanadium oxide ultrathin films on TiO₂ (110), through strict control of the reaction parameters. The films obtained are then characterised from a chemical, electronic and structural point of view, and their properties are compared to those of their bulk-related phases. Results are presented concerning growth procedures and structural and electronic properties of vanadium oxide ultrathin films on titania, with a stoichiometry ranging from VO₂, down to approximately VO. In particular, it will be shown that the oxidation product of metallic vanadium in an oxygen or water atmosphere (in the 10⁻⁶ mbar range) retains the rutile lattice structure typical of stoichiometric VO₂, despite the increasing degree of oxygen defectiveness and the electronic properties, very similar to those pertaining to bulk V₂O₃. The peculiar behaviour of vanadium oxide on titania demonstrates how important the epitaxial influence of the substrate is on the nature of the overlayer. These results could represent a good starting point to understand why vanadium oxides on TiO₂ show an enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity in many industrially relevant reactions.     

g-C3N4/Ag/TiO2 NTs的制备及其对西维因的光催化降解

采用阳极氧化法制备二氧化钛纳米管(TiO₂ NTs),然后在紫外光和微波辅助下引入Ag、g-C₃N₄制备出g-C₃N₄/Ag/TiO₂ NTs三元复合光催化材料。用扫描电镜(SEM)、X-射线衍射(XRD)、X-射线光电子能谱(XPS)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis)、光致发光(PL)等手段对g-C₃N₄/Ag/TiO₂ NTs进行表征,研究了这种材料对西维因的降解性能。结果表明,在模拟太阳光照射下,g-C₃N₄/Ag/TiO₂ NTs对西维因的降解率由TiO₂ NTs的29.1%提高到51.8%。光催化活性的提高,与Ag表面等离子体共振效应、Ag优异的电荷传导性以及g-C₃N₄与TiO₂ NTs界面的异质结有关。     

金红石二氧化钛纳米片的性质及其光催化活性

采用溶胶-凝胶、质子交换和层状剥离的方法, 制备出金红石TiO₂纳米片。利用X射线电子衍射谱(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)、X光电子能谱(XPS)的价带谱和荧光光谱(PL)等对样品进行了表征, 研究了光生载流子的转移过程。结果证明: 金红石TiO₂纳米片具有较大的比表面积(185.7 m²/g), 厚度约5 nm, 与金红石TiO₂样品相比, 金红石TiO₂纳米片的禁带宽度增加, 氧化还原能力增强; 此外, 纳米片结构能够促使光生载流子快速转移到纳米片的表面并产生有效分离, 阻止了光生电子和空穴的复合, 提高了光催化反应中光生载流子的利用率。金红石纳米片的这些特性导致其具有较高的光催化活性, 紫外光催化降解对氯苯酚的实验表明: 金红石TiO₂纳米片的光催化活性高于金红石TiO₂和锐钛矿TiO₂样品。     

Influence of the sputtering system''s vacuum level on the properties of indium tin oxide films

The influence of the chamber residual pressure level in the radio frequency magnetron sputtering process on the electrical, optical and structural properties of indium thin oxide (ITO) is investigated. Several ITO films were deposited at various residual pressure levels on Corning glass using In₂O₃:SnO₂ target in argon atmosphere and without the addition of oxygen partial pressure. It is found that a very good vacuum is associated to metallic films and results in less transparent ITO films, with some powder formation on the surface. On the contrary highly transparent and conducting films are produced at a higher residual pressure. The best deposition conditions are addressed for ITO films as transparent conducting oxide layers in silicon heterojunction solar cells. Using the optimal vacuum level for ITO fabrication, a maximum short circuit current of 36.6 mA/cm² and a fill-factor of 0.78 are obtained for solar cells on textured substrates with a device conversion efficiency of 16.2%.     

The photoresponse of high resistance anatase TiO2 films prepared by the decomposition of titanium isopropoxide

High resistance films of the anatase phase of TiO₂ have been prepared by spray pyrolysis starting with titanium isopropoxide Ti(OPrⁱ)₄. The films were deposited on glass substrates held at 590 K. The TiO₂ films were characterized structurally, optically, and electrically. The photoresponse of these films to prolonged UV radiation in a vacuum and subsequently subjected to O₂, H₂, water vapour, or air environments, has been investigated. When vacuum, O₂ or air is present, the electrical and optoelectronic properties observed can be explained by the induced variations in the oxygen deficiency at the surface of the TiO₂ film and the resulting formation or removal of an enhancement layer at the surface. An equivalent effect on the surface band bending can be induced by an absorbed species. For example, adsorbed water vapour can alter the surface conductance of the films and the result depends on the oxygen-to-titanium ratio present at the surface when the water vapour is introduced.     

Nanoscale ZnS/TiO2 composites: Preparation, characterization, and visible-light photocatalytic activity

Photoactive ZnS/TiO₂ nanocomposites were prepared via microemulsion-mediated solvothermal method. The structure, composition, physicochemical property, and morphology of the composites were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman scattering studies, UV diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV/DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It showed that the composites were cube-shaped with particle sizes of 10 to 15 nm, and the phase structure for ZnS and TiO₂ in the composites was cubic and anatase, respectively. The content of the ZnS in the composites was 2.1%, 10.7%, and 19.9%, respectively. Compared with the solitary anatase TiO₂, the ZnS/TiO₂ exhibited enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for the aqueous parathion-methyl degradation. Factors including the interactions between the phases of ZnS and TiO₂, strong adsorption of the substrate at the surface of the ZnS/TiO₂ nanocomposites, and preassociation of the substrate and composites are responsible for this enhancement photocatalytic activity.     

Structural, optical and electrical characterization of spray-deposited TiO2 thin films

Titanium oxide (TiO₂) thin films were deposited onto glass substrates by means of spray pyrolysis method using methanolic titanyl acetyl acetonate as precursor solution. The thin films were deposited at three different temperatures namely 350, 400 and 450 °C. As-deposited thin films were amorphous having 100–300 nm thickness. The thin films were subsequently annealed at 500 °C in air for 2 h. Structural, optical and electrical properties of TiO₂ thin films have been studied. Polycrystalline thin films with rutile crystal structure, as evidenced from X-ray diffraction pattern, were obtained with major reflexion along (1 1 0). Surface morphology and growth stages based on atomic force microscopy measurements are discussed. Electrical properties have been studied by means of electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power measurements. Optical study shows that TiO₂ possesses direct optical transition with band gap of 3.4 eV.     

Microstructure modification of amorphous titanium oxide thin films during annealing treatment

Thin films of titanium oxide have been deposited on (100) silicon wafers and on quartz substrates by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering from a 99.6% pure Titanium target. Amorphous and overoxidised coatings (TiO_2.2) have been obtained from this technique. The influence of the post-deposition annealing between 300 °C and 1100 °C on the structural and optical properties and on the surface morphology has been investigated. The results of X-ray diffraction showed that films annealed from 300 to 500 °C have an anatase crystalline structure whereas those annealed at 1100 °C have a rutile crystalline structure. Optical analyses showed that UV-Vis transmission spectra are strongly modified by the annealing temperature and refractive index of TiO_x layers also changes. Atomic force microscopy measurements corroborate optical and structural analyses and showed that the surface of the coatings can have various appearances and morphologies for the annealing temperatures investigated.     

TiO2形态对MAPbBr3太阳电池转化效率影响机制的研究

二氧化钛(TiO₂)是钙钛矿太阳电池中最常用的电子传输材料, 研究发现其形态对MAPbBr₃太阳电池的器件转化效率可产生直接影响。研究不同形态TiO₂对钙钛矿太阳电池转化效率的影响机制对进一步认识此类太阳电池的工作机理十分必要。本工作使用旋涂法制备了不同形态的TiO₂, 而后采用反溶剂室温结晶的方法在TiO₂基底上进一步制备MAPbBr₃(MA = CH₃NH₃)薄膜, 并通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS)详细研究了TiO₂与MAPbBr₃接触界面的能级位置关系。研究结果表明: 不同形态的TiO₂ 在与钙钛矿接触后形成的导带差异不同; 不同的导带能级差可直接影响MAPbBr₃钙钛矿电池中电子的传递与收集, 进而影响电池的转化效率。     

油酸修饰对纳米二氧化钛在变压器油中分散性的影响

利用油酸对纳米二氧化钛进行有机表面修饰, 将修饰后的纳米粉体超声分散到变压器油中制备纳米二氧化钛改性变压器油, 研究了表面修饰对纳米二氧化钛在变压器油中分散性的影响. 采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)、红外光谱(FT-IR)和热分析(TG)对纳米二氧化钛的形貌、结构和表面修饰状态进行表征。结果表明, 油酸与纳米二氧化钛表面以双齿桥连配位方式键合, 在纳米二氧化钛表面形成了良好的修饰层。随着修饰剂的增加, 尽管油酸在纳米二氧化钛表面的配位方式没有发生改变, 但化学包覆量明显增加, 表面油酸分子的排列也更为紧密, 从而使纳米二氧化钛粒子在变压器油中的分散性和稳定性显著提高。当钛盐与油酸摩尔比为1:24时, 二氧化钛纳米粒子可以稳定分散在变压器油中, 室温静置30 d后仍保持澄清透明。     

异质结型BaTiO3/TiO2复合纳米纤维的制备及光催化性能

以静电纺丝技术制备的TiO₂纳米纤维为模板和反应物, 采用水热法原位合成了具有异质结构的BaTiO₃/TiO₂复合纳米纤维。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM) 和高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)等分析测试手段对样品的结构和形貌进行表征。结果表明: BaTiO₃纳米微粒均匀地生长在TiO₂纳米纤维表面, 制备了异质结型BaTiO₃/TiO₂复合纳米纤维。材料的光催化性能利用罗丹明B和苯酚的脱色降解反应测试。BaTiO₃/TiO₂复合纳米纤维材料, 在紫外光照射下, 光催化降解活性较纯锐钛矿TiO₂纳米纤维有明显提高, 罗丹明B和苯酚在该复合纳米纤维材料上的光催化降解反应遵循一级反应动力学。且易于分离、回收和再利用, 循环使用5次, 罗丹明B的脱色率仍保持在96%以上。