In this research the TiO2 thin films were prepared by sol-gel dip coating. The crystallization of the films in the applied electric field heating process was thoroughly studied by many technique, differential thermal analysis (DTA), Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM). Furthermore the phase formation, microstructure and photo-catalytic activity of TiO2 film were studied under the condition of an electric field heating-treatment. It is found that the existence of applied electric field promotes the phase transformation from anatase to rutile. Studies on photo-catalytic degradation show that the photo-catalytic activity of TiO2 thin films in an applied electric field is higher.
Titania is an important catalytic material for photo-catalytic applications, and the sol-gel process is one of the most appropriate technologies to prepare TiO2 thin films. In the present paper, the Ce4+, Sb3+-codoped TiO2 films were prepared by sol-gel method, which were heat-treated with an applied electric filed. The phase transformation behavior of Ce4+, Sb3+-codoped TiO2 film in the electric field heating-treatment was studied by XRD and AFM. It is found that the crystals were homogeneous and the average crystal size was about 60 nm. Studies of photo-catalytic degradation show that the photo-catalytic activity of Ce4+, Sb3+-codoped TiO2 films heated to 500 ℃ in an applied electric field was higher.
