Study on structural, optical and hydrophilic properties of FTO/TiO2 tandem thin film prepared by aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition method

Homogeneous TiO2 thin films were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F, FTO) substrate using aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition with nano-TiO2 suspension as precursors. The effects of annealing temperature on the structural, optical, electrical and hydrophilic properties have been investigated in detail. The results revealed that the nano-TiO2 precursors with averages particle size of 5 nm to 7 nm formed a uniform and smooth surface morphology on FTO substrates after annealing process. By controlling annealing temperature, the FTO/TiO2 tandem films simultaneously exhibited excellent emissivity and water contact angle with values of about 0.13 and 5°, respectively. The enhancement of the hydrophilicity was attributed to the emerging heterojunction at the FTO/TiO2 interface. The FTO/TiO2 tandem films prepared here have favorable prospective applications in the field of energy-saving coated glass for their hydrophilicity and low-emissivity performance. •A facile AACVD method was proposed to prepare FTO/TiO2 tandem films.•The FTO/TiO2 tandem films exhibit favorable hydrophilicity and low-emissivity performance simultaneously.•The enhancement of the hydrophilicity results from the emerging heterojunction at the FTO/TiO2 interface.