Anatase TiO2 films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition using Ti target

TiO2 films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition using a metallic Ti target in an O-2 gas ambient. The microstructure along with optical and photocatalytic properties of the deposited films were systematically studied by changing the deposition parameters and substrates. It was found that TiO2 films having nearly pure anatase phase grew effectively in O-2 atmosphere. When the films were fabricated at a substrate temperature of 400 degrees C, their phase structures were greatly affected by the O-2 gas pressure, and nearly pure anatase phase with typical (101) and (004) peaks can be obtained under an O-2 pressure of 15 Pa. For the deposition at 700 degrees C, the crystal structure of the TiO2 films exhibited a strong anatase (004) peak and was inert to the oxygen pressures. Two modes, namely a substrate-temperature-controlled mode and an oxygen-pressure-controlled mode, were considered for the growth of the anatase TiO2 films under different substrate temperatures. In addition, the optical and photocatalytic properties were found to be sensitive to both the microstructure and grain size of the TiO2 films.