Low temperature deposition of TiO₂ layers from nanoparticle containing suspensions synthesized by microwave hydrothermal treatment

In this paper, we present a microwave-assisted, hydrothermal method for the synthesis of TiO₂ suspensions. These were obtained from Ti⁴⁺ aqueous precursor solutions using titanium-isopropoxide with EDTA and triethanolamine or tetraethylammonium hydroxide by applying a microwave treatment at temperatures between 100 and 140 °C. The influence of the ligands, pH, reaction temperature and time on the particle size and crystallinity was investigated and discussed. A selection of the TiO₂ suspensions was deposited on glass substrates using piezoelectric driven ink-jet printing. The rheological properties of the suspensions were evaluated against the relevant criteria for ink-jet printing and their jetting behavior was analyzed. The ink-jet printed layers were heated at temperatures between 150 and 500 °C to create transparent titanium oxide layers. The photocatalytic activity of the finally obtained layers was analyzed by following the decomposition of a methylene blue solution under UV illumination. The presence of preformed titania nanoparticles makes it possible to obtain photocatalytic active coatings at reduced heating temperatures. This can widen the application range of these functional layers to heat-sensitive substrates such as polymers. The influence of the heat treatment temperature on the film roughness, thickness and photocatalytic activity was also studied.