Abstract
Titania/silica composite films were prepared by dip coating of glass substrates in alcoholic suspensions of nanocrystalline anatase particles. Amorphous silica was used as a binder with the aim of producing stable and resistant transparent coatings on glass. It was found that transparency, stability, thickness and photocatalytic activity of the anatase/silica films were strongly affected by changes in the viscosity of coating suspensions. High viscosities lead to thick films, which were opaque and instable. The thickest stable and transparent film had an average thickness of 518 nm. Interference measurements were found to be useful tools to assess the relative film thickness. Moreover, the refractive index of the anatase/silica coatings was obtained by relating the interference pattern with the film thickness obtained by scanning electron microscopy measurements. Methylene blue degradation was conducted to characterise the photocatalytic activity of films and was compared with that of commercially available Pilkington Active™ glass.
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