Ti 3 O 5 Nano- and Microfibers Prepared via Annealing of C-doped TiO 2 Thin Films Aiming at Solar Cell and Photocatalysis Applications

Ti3O5 nano- and microfibers were obtained via annealing of C-doped TiO2 thin films aiming at solar cell electrodes and photocatalysis applications. 1.5wt% and 3.0 wt% carbon-doped TiO2 films were deposited by e-beam evaporation and were annealed for 120min at 700oC, 900oC and 1000oC in wet nitrogen (0.8%H2O). The films were analyzed by different techniques such as Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) conducted in a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). It was noteworthy that the nano- and microfibers were formed for TiO2 films annealed at 1000oC temperature. In this case, the amorphous TiO2 phase gave rise to crystalline phases of λ-Ti3O5 (75%) and rutile + trace of TiO2-xCx (25%) with a mesh of Ti3O5 fibers over a C-doped TiO2 layer.