Enhanced effect of vacuum-deposited SiO2 overlayer on photo-induced hydrophilicity of TiO2 film

Photo-induced hydrophilicity of SiO₂/TiO₂ multilayer film prepared by using the vacuum deposition method was investigated by means of water contact angle measurement. Using black light irradiation of the films centering at a wavelength of 365 nm, an extreme photo-induced hydrophilicity was achieved when the TiO₂ film was covered by SiO₂ overlayer ranging from 10 to 20 nm in thickness. These multilayer films exhibited much more extreme hydrophilicity than the TiO₂ film without SiO₂ overlayer. The surface analyses revealed that the enhanced photo-induced hydrophilic surface of the multilayer films exhibited an improved photo-catalytic activity towards decomposition of organic substances on their surfaces. It was found that significant growth of the SiOH group occurred in the uppermost surface of the SiO₂ overlayer of the multilayer films through the depth profile measurement of TOF-SIMS. This result suggests that the photo-generated reactive species such as hole created in the TiO₂ film may transmit the SiO₂ layer to reach the surface. The enhanced photo-induced hydrophilicity of the films can be explained by a synergetic effect of the improved photo-catalytic activity of the multilayer film and the stable hydrophilicity of SiO₂ itself.