Abstract
Amorphous TiO2 films were deposited on non-alkali glass by reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering using a TiO2 ceramic target. This study analyzed the effects of Ar/O-2/N-2 gas flow ratios, deposition time, and thermal annealing treatments on the morphological and structural phases and photocatalytic characteristics of the TiO2 films. The XRD results showed a broad hump shape, indicating the existence of an amorphous phase characteristic of TiO2 films. For O-2/N-2 co-doped TiO2 films, as the O-2 and N-2 concentration increased, higher photocatalytic activity of TiO2 materials was obtained, while the film growth rate and band gap energy (E-g) values tended to decrease. When increasing the TiO2 film thickness, the amorphous phases remained unchanged, the E-g value narrowed, and higher photocatalytic activity was obtained. After thermal annealing treatments, the TiO2 films showed ultra-hydrophilicity and outstanding photocatalytic efficiency. The TiO2 film annealed at 450 degrees C displayed higher photocatalytic performance and improved mechanical properties. It was seen that when using a higher nanoindentation load, higher hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) were obtained, but the H/E, H-3/E-2, and elastic recovery rate (%Re) did not change significantly.
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