PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF HYBRID FILMS CONTAINING TiO2-BASED SILICA MATERIALS

Silica materials (without and with TiO2 nanoparticles) were synthesized via sol-gel route in the presence of different silane precursors. Hybrid films have been produced by deposition of these materials on glass substrates. Physicochemical and optical properties of final materials were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Contact Angle (CA) measurements. The interactions between silica material and TiO2 nanoparticles were confirmed by FTIR. TGA analysis showed that the introduction of TiO2 nanoparticles into silica material improved its thermal stability and reduced weight loss rates. Diffuse reflectance spectra revealed that the hybrid films present antireflective property (R similar to 7%). From contact angle measurements, it was found that the obtained hybrid films present a different wetting ability. The final materials could be used to enhance the performance of photovoltaic devices.

Automated summary

Silica materials with and without TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via sol-gel route using different silane precursors. Hybrid films were prepared by depositing these materials on glass substrates. The physicochemical and optical properties of the final materials were characterized using various techniques. The interaction between silica material and TiO2 nanoparticles was confirmed by FTIR. The presence of TiO2 nanoparticles improved the thermal stability and reduced weight loss rates of the silica material. The hybrid films showed antireflective properties and different wetting abilities, which make them useful for enhancing the performance of photovoltaic devices.