Effect of K contents on the efficiency of K-doped TiO2 thin films for smart window applications

Researchers are paying more attention to thin film materials because of the rising demand in the electronics industry. This demand is due to the cost-effective preparation method as well as the tunable room temperature synthesis. In this research, sol-gel dip-coating was used to synthesize K-doped TiO2 thin films on glass substrates at varying concentrations of K-precursor (2,4,6,8,10 at. wt.%). Highly ordered thin films were produced by optimizing the deposition conditions. K has an impact on the morphological, structural, magnetic, dielectric, antibacterial, and optical characteristics of TiO2 films. XRD was used to confirm the development of the anatase phase and with the increase in K contents, the crystallite size was decreased. As K concentration rises, the band gap of the films decreases from 3.89 to 3.04 eV. A shift in optical absorption from UV to visible light and an increase in film thickness both contributed to the band gap lowering. Due to reduced band gap, these films can absorb a lot of the range of visible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum making them suitable for absorbing layers of solar cells. Dielectric properties that followed the Maxwell-Wagner model and Koop's theory are explained by the hopping process. The dielectric constant decreases with the increase in K-concentration may be due to the agglomeration of TiO2 into larger particles with reduced surface area. Although titania has more effective antibacterial activity but K doped TiO2 is found to be more effective against P. aoeruginosa than other bacteria. All K-doped TiO2 thin films exhibit ferromagnetism. K-doped TiO2 films are responsible for the improving applications of sensors, photovoltaic cells, and water splits.

Automated summary

Researchers are increasingly interested in thin film materials due to the growing demand in the electronics industry. In this study, K-doped TiO2 thin films were synthesized using sol-gel dip-coating, and the effects of K concentration on the properties of the films were investigated. The results showed that K doping had a significant impact on the morphological, structural, magnetic, dielectric, antibacterial, and optical characteristics of the TiO2 films.