Structural and XPS studies of PSi/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by ALD and Ag-assisted chemical etching

PSi/TiO2 nanocomposites fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) were investigated. The morphology and phase structure of PSi/TiO2 nanocomposites were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Raman spectroscopy. The mean size of TiO2 nanocrystals was determined by TEM and Raman spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the chemical elemental composition by observing the behavior of the Ti 2p, 0 1s and Si 2p lines. TEM, Raman spectroscopy and XPS binding energy analysis confirmed the formation of TiO2 anatase phase inside the PSi matrix. The XPS valence band analysis was performed in order to investigate the modification of PSi/TiO2 nanocomposites electronic structure. Surface defects states of Ti3+ at PSi/TiO2 nanocomposites were identified by analyzing of XPS valence band spectra. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.