Effect of Concentration of Precursor Solution on Surface Morphology and Optical Properties of Titania Thin Film

Abstract

Titania thin film has become a great interest for the researchers due to its amazing photocatalytic activities and anti-bacterial effect. In present paper, films were deposited on normal silica glass substrate by dynamic spin coating using stable titania precursor solutions of different concentrations. Stable titania solution were synthesized by aqueous sol-gel route using titanium tetra isopropoxide. The films were calcined at 500°C were characterized with thermo gravimetry anddifferential ccanning calorimetry to determine phase transition point, X-ray diffraction for phase analysis, UV-Visible spectrometry for optical properties analysis, surface profilometer for thickness measurement, Optical Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to determine surface morphology. The objective was to analyze the effect of concentration of titania precursor solution on the surface morphology and optical properties of titania thin films. Solution of comparatively lower concentration produced uniform and stable titania film with better optical properties. With increasing concentration, the adhesion of the film degraded along with its surface morphology and optical properties.