Epitaxy of Porous and Photocatalytically Active TiO2 Films at 50°C

Abstract

Epitaxial anatase TiO2 thin films were grown on (001) oriented SrTiO3 single crystal substrates by liquid phase deposition at 50°C. The film consisted of nanosized crystallites and exhibited a significant void fraction of 31 %. This contributed to the cracking of thicker films due to the generation of capillary stresses in the nanosized pores during drying. This porosity also comes in useful during the photodegradation of a methylene blue dye by an as-grown film.