The influence of various deposition techniques on the photoelectrochemical properties of the titanium dioxide thin film

Thin sol–gel TiO2 layers deposited on the conductive ITO glass by means of three various deposition techniques (dip-coating, inkjet printing and spray-coating) were used as photoanode in the three-compartment electrochemical cell. The thin TiO2 films were treated at 450 °C and after calcination all samples possessed the crystallographic form of anatase. The relationship between surface structure and photo-induced conductivity of the nanostructured layers was investigated. It was found that the used deposition method significantly influenced the structural properties of prepared layers; mainly, the formation of defects and their quantity in the prepared films. The surface properties of the calcined layers were determined by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, AFM, UV–Vis analyses and by the optical microscopy. The photo-induced properties of nanoparticulate TiO2/ITO photoanode were studied by electrochemical measurements combined with UV irradiation.