Photocatalytic WO ₃ and TiO ₂ Films on Brass

This paper reports on the structure, mechanical, and photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide ( TiO ₂ ) and tungsten oxide ( WO ₃ ) films on a brass substrate. TiO ₂ and WO ₃ films have been successfully deposited on brass by a simple sol‐gel dip‐coating method and it has been shown that, while both films possess photocatalytic properties, WO ₃ films were superior to TiO ₂ . Higher surface area and rod‐like morphology of WO ₃ films might have contributed to their higher photocatalytic activity. Nanoindentation results have shown that both films attach well to the substrate and possess good mechanical properties.