Durability and efficiency of ink-jet printed TiO2 coatings: Influence of processing temperature

In this work, we focus on the outdoor testing of transparent, photocatalytically-active, TiO2 layers obtained by ink-jet printing of aqueous, nanoparticle containing sols. This approach includes a thermal treatment at strongly reduced temperatures (150 to 500 °C), still resulting in coatings with photocatalytic properties comparable to, or in some cases even better than, commercially available, physical deposition based or conventional sol-gel deposited films. This type of titania coatings is being used in outdoor conditions for self-cleaning and antibacterial coatings. This means that they need to exhibit good durability and long term performance. Yet, reducing the thermal treatment temperature might have a negative effect on these parameters. This paper presents simulated artificial weathering, antibacterial and corrosion tests on the processed films, making it possible to assess their performance under real life conditions.