Anatase Thin Films on Glass from the Chemical Vapor Deposition of Titanium(IV) Chloride and Ethyl Acetate

Thin (50−500 nm) films of TiO 2 may be deposited on glass substrates by the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) reaction of TiCl 4 with ethyl acetate at 400−600 °C. The TiO 2 films are exclusively in the form of anatase, as established by Raman microscopy and glancing angle X-ray diffraction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy gave a 1:2 Ti:O ratio with Ti 2p 3/2 at 458.6 eV and O 1s at 530.6 eV. The water droplet contact angle drops from 60° to <5° on UV irradiation. The deposited films bring about the complete photooxidation of a stearic acid overlayer following irradiation at 254 nm for 30 min. Both the drop in contact angle and the photooxidation described are critically important to the self-cleaning applications of anatase films on glass.