Photoinduced hydrophilicity of titanium dioxide thin films prepared by cathodic electrodeposition

Crystal structure and microstructural properties of titanium dioxide thin films prepared by cathodic electrodeposition on indium-tin-oxide coated glass substrates from aqueous peroxo-titanium complex solutions have been investigated as a function of sintering temperature (25–500 °C) for the first time. We have noticed pronounced photoinduced hydrophilicity for such thin films on exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light illumination. It was observed that all the films, irrespective of their crystalline nature (amorphous and crystalline), display transformation from hydrophobic to super-hydrophilic behavior upon UV illumination. This observation can be correlated with typical nanoporous morphology of electrodeposited TiO2 films.