Control of the porosity of anatase thin films prepared by EISA: Influence of thickness and heat treatment

Mesoporous anatase thin films were prepared by the evaporation-induced self-assembly process. This paper reports a study of the influence of several physical parameters on the long-range ordering of the mesopores. A preliminary study was done to set the best humidity conditions during dip-coating and ageing of the films. The withdrawal speed, already known to modify the thickness of the deposited film, was shown to exert a strong influence on the percentage of porosity. This was studied by step profilometry combined with Rutherford backscattered spectrometry (RBS). In parallel, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and RBS were used to tune the precise thermal treatment applied to the so-obtained films, in order to preserve the porous mesostructure and promote the nanocrystallization of anatase TiO2.