Photo-induced superhydrophilicity of nanocomposite TiO2-SiO2 thin film

In this work, TiO2 and TiO2-SiO2 thin films on glass substrates were prepared by the sol-gel dip coating process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to evaluate the structural and chemical properties of the films. The super-hydrophilicity was assessed by water contact angle measurement. XRD measurements confirmed the presence of polycrystalline anatase and rutile phases in the films. The water contact angle measurements showed that addition of SiO2 has a significant effect on the super-hydrophilicity of TiO2 thin films, especially if they are stored in a dark place.