The Influence of Surface Treatment on Photocatalytic Activity of PE CVD TiO2 Thin Films

The aim of this paper is investigation of the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 thin films prepared by PECVD with metal nanoparticles built‐up on the film surface. The deposition of TiO2 films was carried out in the radio frequency (RF) low‐pressure PECVD reactor. Layers were deposited at two different substrate temperatures (40 and 300 °C). The surface of TiO2 films was subsequently covered by noble metal nanoparticles—silver, platinum, and gold, deposited by different methods. For determination of the photocatalytic decomposition the Acid orange 7 (AO7) C16H11N2NaO4S organic dye was used. Selected samples were used for antibacterial tests (Gram‐negative bacteria Escherichia coli). The results clearly proved that presence of metal clusters resulted in enhancement of the photocatalytic and antibacterial activity.