Crack-Free TiO2 Thin Film via Sol-Gel Dip Coating Method: Investigation on Molarity Effect

Abstract

Titanium dioxide, (TiO2) is transparent to visible light and excellent in optical transmittance. In this experiment, TiO2 thin films have been fabricated on glass substrates by sol-gel dip coating method. Sol-gel dip coating technique can provide corrosion protection performance and can produce thick coating. Due to the thick coating, the possibility to get a crack thin film is high. Therefore, this paper is to investigate a crack-free TiO2 thin film for optical sensor application where it is needed the most. The films were subjected to different molar concentration solution with 0.01M, 0.05M, 0.10M, 0.15M and 0.20M. The thin films are then characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface profiler and UV-VIS NIR spectrometer. From this study, a crack-free of TiO2 thin film was obtained and this thin film could be used for optical sensor application later.