Microstructural study of binary TiO2:SiO2 nanocrystalline thin films

TiO2:SiO2 nanocrystalline thin films with high photocatalytic activities have been prepared at 35 °C using liquid phase deposition. The microstructural properties of the thin films were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. The photocatalytic performance of the thin films was evaluated by analyzing photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. The results show that most TiO2 crystallites have been deposited on the top of SiO2 nanopowders, resulting in an improved photocatalytic efficiency through increasing the effective absorptive sites.