Room temperature chemical vapor deposition for fabrication of titania inverse opals: Fabrication, morphology analysis and optical characterization

Abstract

This paper demonstrates room temperature chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) for fabricating titania inverse opals. The colloidal crystals of monodisperse polymer latex spheres were used as a sacrificial template. Titania was deposited into the interstices between the colloidal spheres by altermate exposures to water and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) vapors. The deposition was achieved under atmospheric pressure and at room temperature. Titania inverse opals were obtained by burning out the colloidal template at high temperatures. The filling fraction of titania was controlled by the number of deposition of TiCl4 vapor. The morphology of inverse opals of titania were investigated. The optical reflection spectra revealed a photonic band gap and was used to estimate the refractive index of titania.