Characterization of nanostructured TiO2:Ag films: Structural and optical properties

Abstract

TiO2:Ag nanocomposites have been prepared by sol-gel method with varying silver concentration. Different technological approaches are employed to study the formation of Ag nanoparticles in titanium dioxide matrix. The obtained thin films are either thermally treated at temperatures from 300 to 600oC or UV irradiated for 15 minutes between layer deposition. XRD and FTIR studies reveal that Ag is incorporated in TiO2 films as nanoparticles and no Ag oxide phases are detected. Optical characterization performed by UV-VIS spectroscopy confirms the formation of silver nanoparticles. The influence of thermal treatment and UV radiation on the optical and structural properties is studied.