Formation Of TiO2 Thin Films By A Modified Sol-gel Route And Characterization Of Structural, Optical And Electrochromic Properties

Through a modified sol gel route with titanium isopropoxide (TIP) and acetic acid, titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films were deposited by dip coating. Employing acetic acid as modifier and without inclusion of water in hydrolysis leaded to control the degree of condensation-oligorimerization of the precursor and formation of anatase phase only upon annealing. Direct allowed energy band gap 3.87 eV verified the anatase phase of the film. Impact of temperature on structural properties was deduced by FTIR and UV-Visible spectroscopies. Due to the reduction in band gap with increase in annealing temperature, injected Li + charge amount dropped in anatase compared to the amorphous (unannealed) films.