Reactively-sputtered super-hydrophilic ultra-thin titania films deposited at 120°C
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- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Abstract
We investigate super-hydrophilic TiO2 (titania) films for concentrated solar-thermal power applications. Reactive magnetron sputtering has been used to deposit 8 to 12 nm thick titania thin films onto borosilicate microscope glass slides, low-Fe extra-clear architectural glass, or Si(100) wafers with a 500 nm thick thermal SiO2 layer. The effects of deposition temperature and O2 fraction of the O2/Ar working gas were investigated. We demonstrate the importance of the O2 fraction for obtaining optically transparent, super-hydrophilic (contact angle below 1°) thin films. In particular, we show that as the O2 fraction increases, contact angle decreases, obtaining super-hydrophilic titania thin films at deposition temperatures as low as 120 °C. Our work enables to develop low thermal budget cost-efficient industrial synthesis processes, paving the way for commercial applications.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | 115501 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Materials Research Express : MRX |
Volume | 10.2023 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2023 |