Effects of diethylene glycol on TiO2 thin film properties prepared by sol-gel process

A technological approach for the sol-gel processing of stabilized thin film titanium dioxide on the stainless steel has been extensively investigated in this paper. Diethylene glycol was used as a drying control additive agent. The transformation of a titanium dioxide thin film was studied by X-ray diffraction. The surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). As results, this substance helped in stabilizing the solution and improving the adhesive property of the film. Without diethylene glycol, the thin film peeled off. Substantially improvement of film was seen with the high amount of diethylene glycol applied. This effect was confirmed by adhesive test and the morphology of stainless steel surface. In addition, adding diethylene glycol to the sol-gel solution exerted less effect on transformation of anatase to rutile phase in titanium dioxide structure. Thus, the nanocrystalline anatase phase of thin film TiO2 can be controlled and the high photoactivity of the film is secure.