Influence of anatase titania nanoparticles content on optical and structural properties of amorphous silica

In this work, the influence of TiO2 NPs content on optical and structural properties of amorphous SiO2 is investigated. Amorphous SiO2/TiO2 thin films were wet-mixed and then deposited onto glass substrate by spin coating technique. The homogeneity distribution of anatase titania nanoparticles within amorphous silica matrix was evidenced by the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The crystallite size of the mixed phase increased significantly upon increment of TiO2 NPs content. The results of emission and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) confirmed the defects creation in the SiO2 matrix. The trapped electrons and the presence of oxygen vacancies at the TiO2/SiO2 interface enhanced the emission intensity of SiO2/TiO2 nanocomposite thin films. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.