Ag surfactant effects of TiO_2 films prepared by sputter deposition

摘要

The surfactant effect of Ag on the thin film structure of TiO_2 by radio frequency magnetron sputtering has been investigated. Comparisons between the atomic force microscopy images revealed that the surface roughness of TiO_2 film mediated by Ag was smaller than that of the TiO _2 film without Ag. The surface segregation effect of Ag was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results of X-ray diffraction revealed that the initial deposition of a 0.4 nm thick Ag surfactant layer onto a Fe buffer layer prior to the deposition of the TiO_2 film reduced the rutile (110) growth and enhanced the anatase (100) growth. It was concluded that Ag was an effective surfactant for changing the thin film structure of TiO_2 on the Fe buffer layer. The photocatalytic effect of the fabricated TiO_2 film was also investigated using the remote oxidation process. TiO_2 films with the Ag surfactant exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than conventionally deposited TiO_2 films.