Preparation of TiO2 thin films at low temperature and characterization of their properties

TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 thin films were prepared at low-temperature with hot water treatment. Their crystal structure, surface morphology and transparency were characterized by XRD, AFM and UV-Vis spectra respectively, and the effects of addition of SiO2 in the films on their performances after treatment with hot water were analyzed. The evaluations of photocatalytic activities of thin films were carried out by degradation of rhodamine B in water solution under UV irradiation. The results showed that the thin films prepared at low temperature with hot water treatment have high reactivitity for degradation of rhodamine B and the addition of SiO2 can significantly increase the photocatalytic reactivitity.