M. Alzamani
A. Shokuhfar
E. Eghdam
S. Mastal

Abstract:In the present research, SiO۲–TiO۲ nanostructure films were successfully prepared on windshields using the sol–gel technique for photocatalytic applications. To prevent the thermal diffusion of the sodium ions from the glass to TiO۲ films, the SiO۲ layer was pre-coated on the glass by the sol–gel method. The substrates were dipped in the sol and withdrawn with the speed of ۶cm/min-۱ to make a gel coating film. The coated films were dried for ۲ days at ۲۷ °C to allow slow solvent evaporation and condensation reactions due to rapid sol–gel reaction of Titania precursor. Then, the films were annealed at ۱۰۰ °C for ۳۰min and at the final temperature (۵۰۰, ۷۰۰ °C) for ۳۰ min continuously. The structure and surface morphology properties, which are as a function of annealing temperature, have been studied by SEM FE-SEM and XRD. The FE-SEM surface morphology results indicate that the particle size increases from ۱۹ to ۴۲ nm by increasing the annealing temperature from ۵۰۰ °C to ۷۰۰ °C. Likewise, XRD illustrate the crystal anatase and rutile as main phases for TiO۲-SiO۲ films annealed at ۵۰۰ °C and ۷۰۰ °C respectively. This procedure resulted in transparent, crack-free SiO۲–TiO۲ films.

Keywords: SiO۲–TiO۲, thin films, sol–gel, dip coating