Study on the Preparation and Properties of Colored Iron Oxide Thin Films

Abstract

Colored iron oxide thin films were prepared using Sol-gel technique. The raw materials were tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), etoh ehanol (EtOH), iron nitrate, and de-ionized water. Various properties were measured and analysed, including the colour of thin films, surface topography, UV-Visible spectra, corrosion resistance and hydrophobicity. To understand how these properties influenced the structural and optical properties of Fe2O3 thin films, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), UV Spectrophotometer and other facilities were employed. Many parameters influence the performance of thin films, such as film layers, added H2O content, and the amount of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). When the volume ratio of TEOS, EtOH and H2O was 15: 13: 1, the quality of Fe(NO3)3·9H2O was 6g, and pH value was 3, reddish and uniform Fe2O3 thin films with excellent properties were produced. Obtained thin films possessed corrosion resistance in hydrochloric acid with pH=l and the absorption edge wavelength was ~350.2nm. Different H2O contents could result in different morphologies of Fe2O3 nanoparticles. When 1.5 ml PDMS was added into the Sol, thin films possessed hydrophobiliry without dropping. Coating with different layers, thin films appeared different morphologies. Meanwhile, with the increment of film layers, the absorbance increased gradually.