Dependence of sputtering current and heat treatment on photocatalytic activities of TiO2 thin films deposited by unbalanced dc reactive magnetron sputtering

Abstract

We have investigated the photocatalytic TiO₂ films deposited onto special glass substrates using unbalanced DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of high sputtering currents without heat treatment in order to produce effectively photocatalytic-activity samples. Our films, even without substrate heating, are highly crystalline. XRD studies revealed a polycrystalline anatase phase appearing early at 185⁰C. Sample surfaces were scanned by a commercial model AFM. The optical properties were measured with the V-530 UV/VIS Spectrophotometer. The photocatalytic activities were affirmed through bleaching of Methylene Blue under UVA irradiation. As a result, high sputtering currents impressively prove the novel potential of TiO₂ film catalyst.