Preparation, characterization, and photo-induced hydrophilicity of nanocrystalline anatase thin films synthesized through evaporation-induced assembly

A novel and facile synthesis route for the manufacture of transparent and uniform nanocrystalline (nc)-TiO₂ thin films on indium-tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates is reported, utilizing TiCl₄ as the titania source and triblock copolymer as the uniform-structure-directing agent through evaporation-induced assembly (EIA). A systematic study of the effect of the calcining temperature on the texture, morphology, and photo-induced hydrophilicity of nc-TiO₂ thin films is provided. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and a contact angle meter were used to study the nc-TiO₂ thin films obtained by calcination at different temperatures. Both the increase of calcination temperature and irradiation by UV light result in a pronounced decrease of water contact angle.