Study of physical and photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide thin films prepared from complex precursors by chemical vapour deposition

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films were prepared using Titanium [bis(dipiraloymethanate) diisopropoxide] (Ti(dpm)(2)(OPri)(2)) and Titanium isopropoxide (Ti(OPri)(4)) complex compound precursors by Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) and photo-assisted CVD. Structural information on TiO2 thin films was obtained in synchrotron radiation experiments: high-resolution Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) and 0-20 XRD experiments were performed on the high-resolution powder diffractometer at the Hamburg Synchrotron Laboratory. Chemical composition of thin films was Studied by high-resolution Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometry technique, surface composition by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and surface morphology by Atomic Force Microscopy. Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 thin films was studied using a photocatalytic reactor. The fungicide Fenarimol was chosen as chemical indicator and its degradation kinetics was followed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.