Influences of annealing temperature on microstructure and properties for TiO2 films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

Titanium dioxide films were deposited at 100 degrees C of substrate temperature with a DC magnetron sputtering system. The crystalline structures, morphological features, and photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 films were systematically studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ultraviolet spectrophotometry. To obtain the crystalline structure of TiO2 film at a low annealing temperature, high-level DC power (600 W) was applied. The effect of the annealing treatments on the microstructure of the TiO2 films was investigated. The results indicated that the annealing process at 200 degrees C clearly caused the formation of a nanocrystalline anatase phase that directly affected photocatalytic activity. The dye removal efficiency of the nanostructured anatase attained 53 and 31% for UV and visible light radiation, respectively. (C) 2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics