Low temperature processed titanium oxide thin-film using scalable wire�bar coating

Abstract
Titanium oxide (a-TiO2) thin-films were coated at room temperature on glass substrates using sol-gel ink, wire-bar coating technique and post annealed at 100 °C, 150 °C and 200 °C for 1 hour, respectively. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed the amorphous nature of TiO2 thin-films irrespective of post annealing temperature. The optical transparency of a-TiO2 films was in the range of 75-85% in the visible region, the contact angles being 65.2° and 0° for a-TiO2 thin-film of as-deposited and post annealed at 200 °C, respectively. The post annealing process induced hydrophilic to superhydrophilic property without UV illumination. Moreover, the self-cleaning property of a�TiO2 was demonstrated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye under UV illumination