Enhancement on photocatalytic activity of an amorphous titanium oxide film with nano-textured surface by selective-fluorination etching process

•The amorphous TiOx film surface was modified via selective fluorination etching process.•The resulting nano-textured surface markedly enriched the specific surface area and surface acidity.•The photocatalytic activity was comparable to an annealed TiOx film with anatase structure. A selective-fluorination etching process achieved by an UV light pre-irradiation and the subsequently fluorination etching was developed to enhance the photocatalytic activity of a low-temperature deposited amorphous titanium oxide (a-TiOx) film. Textured surface on the a-TiOx films formed by this process were investigated using atomic force microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope. Evidence of the fluorine ions introduced into the a-TiOx films was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The etching thickness of the a-TiOx film was found to be deeply relevant to the film pre-irradiated by the UV light. An a-TiOx film with nano-textured surface, which was favorable to enlarge the specific surface area, thus was obtainable from the notable etching selectivity of the film pre-irradiated by UV light through a nano-sized mask. In addition, the surface acidity of the a-TiOx film was enhanced by the formation of the TiF chemical bonds originating from the fluorination etching process, which also was functional to facilitate the production of surface OH free radicals. Accordingly, the resulting fluorinated a-TiOx film with nano-textured surface performed a quality photocatalytic activity comparable to that of the high-temperature achieved TiOx film with anatase structures.