| AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology Division | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session PS-TuP |
| Session: | Plasma Science and Technology Poster Session |
| Presenter: | Nicolas Boscher, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg |
| Authors: | K. Baba, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg M. Quesada-Gonzalez, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg S. Bulou, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg P. Choquet, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg N.D. Boscher, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2), one of the most important photocatalytic materials, has met a wide range of applications, including self-cleaning surfaces, environmental purification, water splitting and photovoltaic applications. Many attempts, including doping and noble-metal nanoparticles loading, have been proposed to extend the photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO2 to the visible range as well as reduce the photo-induced electron-hole pair recombination probability. On the other hand, tremendous efforts have targeted a decrease of the temperature formation and deposition of anatase TiO2-based thin films.
Due to their undeniable industrial advantages, such as low temperature, low cost, easy implementation and in-line process capabilities, low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma processes provide a promising alternative for the low-temperature deposition of functional coatings. In this work, we reported the simultaneous formation and deposition of photocatalytic anatase TiO2 thin films on polymer substrates using a microwave (MW) plasma source operated at atmospheric-pressure.
We further demonstrate our approach as suitable for the formation of doped anatase TiO2 thin films. Boron-doped anatase TiO2 were readily deposited on different substrate such as glass, silicon and polymeric optical fibers in a one-step process. The careful selection of the titanium and boron precursors allows the deposition of well adherent, dense and crystalline B-TiO2 with a visible light activity. The photocatalytic activity of the deposited films was demonstrated by monitoring de degradation of stearic acid or methylene blue under UV and visible light by FTIR and related to the narrowing of the band gap observed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Finally, light-diffusing polymer optical fibers were coated using the developed method for the elaboration of a water decontamination reactor for the removal of organics and antibiotics.