Exploiting Laser‐Induced Oxidation Phase Diagrams for Multifunctional Titania Thin Films
Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Journal Volume
34
Journal Issue
13
Start Page
2310469
ISSN
1616-301X
1616-3028
Date Issued
2023-12-18
Author(s)
Drake Austin
Brian Everhart
Farheen Khurshid
Jeyavelan Muthu
Anthony Pelton
Michael Altvater
Morgen Smith
Susanna Post
Paige Miesle
Christopher Muratore
Rahul Rao
Placidus Amama
Nicholas Glavin
Abstract
Local laser-induced oxidation is an extremely valuable technique to perform high-throughput optimization across multidimensional parameter sets. In this work, a versatile method is presented for the synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin-films with varying crystalline structures through the use of localized, visible, continuous-wave laser-processing. By controlling the laser intensity and the exposure time, the conversion of amorphous titanium disulfide (a-TiS2) precursor films into distinct phases of TiO2 is achieved and a laser-induced oxidation phase diagram is constructed with the resulting material phases, including anatase, rutile, and black TiO2. By utilizing the dependence of phase formation on the rate and duration of laser energy input, mixtures of anatase and rutile phases are fabricated with controlled spatial arrangements. Photocatalytic properties of the synthesized films are evaluated using the degradation of nitrogen oxide (NOx) gas under UV illumination and an organic dye under white-light illumination, revealing that mixtures of anatase and rutile phases demonstrate superior photocatalytic activity. The laser-induced oxidation method highlighted showcases a strategy for precisely tailored phase composition for directly tunable properties, paving the way for in-depth studies into structure-property relationships in photocatalysis and other applications of metal oxide films.
Subjects
laser-induced oxidation
multi-functional materials
thin-film
titania
Publisher
Wiley
Type
journal article