The structure change and the superhydrophilicity of the Sb-doped titanium dioxide thin films

The TiO2: Sb nanoscale thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the sol–gel dip-coating method. The influence of the dopant density on the structure and the phase transformation of the thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra. From the results of XRD, the thin films were in a majority of anatase state. The results of Raman spectra indicated that the non-doped TiO2 thin film composed of not only anatase but also brookite phase. Dopant Sb enhances the transformation of the TiO2 from brookite to anatase phase. After doping proper amount of Sb, the thin films show more superhydrophilicity than the non-doped TiO2 thin film as well. The crystal size of the TiO2 : Sb is about 13.3–20 nm calculated from the XRD patterns.