Electrophoretic deposition and optical property of titania nanotubes films

In this paper, titania nanotubes (TNTs) films have been fabricated successfully by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on Nesa glass. EPD is performed in non-aqueous TNTs suspension with 0.2 wt.% polyvinyl butyral (PVB) as a dispersant. The influence of the pH value on the zeta potential and the viscosity of the suspension was investigated by a zeta potential measurement and a viscometer. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) micrographs indicate that the microstructures of the films are greatly affected by the applied electric field. It has been found that the optimal deposition condition is the pH value of ∼5 and the applied electric field of 10 V/cm. In addition, the optical property of TNTs films deposited at 10 V/cm for 2 min is also studied in detail.