Substrate-Temperature Effects on Optical and Photoinduced Hydrophilic Properties of Sputtered TiO2 Films on ITO Glass

Aniket Deshmukh, Nilesh Thakare, Sanjay Devade

Abstract: Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films combine UV-activated photocatalysis with photoinduced hydrophilicity, making them attractive for self-cleaning glass coatings. We grew 500 nm TiO₂ thin films on ITO-coated glass substrates via RF magnetron sputtering. Using a rutile-phase target, we carried out the deposition across five substrate temperatures, from room temperature (22 °C) up to 200°C. Optical absorption and transmittance were characterised by UV-V is spectrophotometry over 200-450 nm, and photoinduced wettability was quantified from the water contact angle after 3 min of UV irradiation (365 nm, 400 W). All five films absorbed strongly in the UV region while remaining approximately 90 % transparent in the visible range, supporting their use as glazing. The post-illumination contact angle decreased monotonically with substrate temperature, from 38.7° at 22 °C to 13.6° at 200 °C, indicating a denser, more photoreactive surface at higher growth temperatures. A companion sol-gel-derived TiO₂ film of matched composition reached a higher steady-state contact angle under the same illumination, showing stronger hydrophilicity for the sputtered film. These results support RF sputtering as a reproducible route to transparent, self-cleaning TiO₂ coatings on conductive glass and identify substrate temperature as a practical parameter for tuning photoinduced hydrophilicity.

Keywords: Titanium dioxide; RF magnetron sputtering; substrate temperature; photocatalysis; photoinduced hydrophilicity

How to Cite?: Aniket Deshmukh, Nilesh Thakare, Sanjay Devade, "Substrate-Temperature Effects on Optical and Photoinduced Hydrophilic Properties of Sputtered TiO2 Films on ITO Glass", Volume 15 Issue 9, September 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 489-494, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26906120036, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26906120036

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