Preparation of vanadium oxide thin films modified with Ag using a hybrid deposition configuration

The application of a hybrid deposition configuration, formed by the interaction of a laser ablation plasma with a flux of atomic vapor, to deposit vanadium oxide thin films modified with different amounts of silver, is reported. The effect of the amount of Ag incorporated in the films on their structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties was studied. The obtained results reveal that films with variable Ag content from 11.7 to 24.6 at.% were obtained. Depending on the silver content, the samples show very different surface morphologies. Optical characterization indicates the presence of nanostructures of Ag. Thin films containing silver exhibit better photocatalytic performances than unmodified V2O5 films. Raman spectra reveal that as the silver content is increased, the signals associated with V2O5 disappear and new modes attributed mainly to silver vanadates appear suggesting the formation of ternary compounds.