Sol-Gel Synthesis of TiO2 Thin Films from In-House Nano-TiO2 Powder

This paper presents the optimization process in sol-gel technique to synthesize Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films using in-house Nano-TiO2 powder. Nano-TiO2 powder was previously synthesized in our lab from ilmenite which is a tin mining byproduct using a modified hydrothermal method. By varying the mass of Nano-TiO2 powder and acetic acid (catalyst) concentration in the sol-gel process, highly transparent TiO2 thin films were obtained. The thin films were characterized by field effect scanning electron microscope (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thickness profiler, ultra-violet-visible spectrometer (UV-Vis) and current-voltage (I-V) measurement system. This paper also demonstrates the TiO2 thin films are sensitive towards isopropanol (IPA) solution where the I-V response of the thin films changed sharply as IPA was dropped onto the thin film’s surface. The electrical property shows the thin film has potential applications for chemical sensors and solar cells.