Surface plasmon resonance caused by gold nanoparticles formed on sprayed TiO2 films

• TiO2 thin films with Au-nanoparticles were produced by chemical solution methods.
• The size and shape of Au-nanoparticles are controlled by the [HAuCl4∙ 3H2O].
• Plasmon light extinction was tuned from 600 to 650 nm by changing [HAuCl4∙ 3H2O].
• Raman scattering intensity of TiO2 films is enhanced by the Au-nanoparticles.

Titania films covered by gold nanoparticles are prepared by combination of spray pyrolysis and spin-coating methods. Proposed combination of techniques is prospective for photovoltaic coatings with plasmonic properties. The prepared TiO2 films with Au nanoparticles demonstrate variation in size of the gold nanocrystallites from 36 to 56 nm depending on the concentration of the HAuCl4∙ 3H2O solution and plasmonic light extinction in the spectral range of 600–650 nm. It is shown that gold nanocrystallites enhance Raman scattering from the underlying thin TiO2 film.