Photocatalytic Edge Growth of Conductive Gold Lines On Microstructured TiO2-ITO Substrates.

Abstract

Titanium dioxide is well-known for its excellent photocatalytic properties. UV-controlled photodeposition of gold on TiO2 is achieved by photocatalytic reduction of precursor ions from a tetrachloroauric solution. During the growth process on the surface, clusters grow from nucleation centers and coalescence is observed for sufficiently long UV illumination times, resulting in gold structures with complex shapes. Here, we hypothesize and demonstrate that the growth process is altered by employing an ITO sublayer below the TiO2 layer. Photocatalytic gold growth experiments on a microstructured thin film stack of 6 nm ITO and 70 nm TiO2 lead to strongly localized gold growth along the edge of the patterned area. A conductive gold line with a height of 3.8 μm is achieved along the edge of the TiO2-coated region, while gold growth on the surface of TiO2 is effectively suppressed. For substrates coated only with ITO or TiO2, no edge growth is observed. Furthermore, for an 845 nm thick TiO2 layer, either with or without ITO sublayer, gold growth on the TiO2 surface is dominant. Thus, for the effective steering of electrons to the edge, both the ITO sublayer and a sufficiently thin TiO2 layer are necessary. This modified method of photocatalytic deposition─electrons photogeneration in a thin layer, collection in a dedicated conductive sublayer, and growth by reduction at a different position─opens opportunities for localized material deposition. We are in particular aiming at extending the toolbox of neuromorphic engineering by providing a technical implementation of stimulus-controlled dynamic formation of directional conductive interlinks.