Enhancing photoinduced hydrophilicity of micro arc oxidized TiO2 nanostructured porous layers by V-doping

This study sheds light on the effect of vanadium doping on hydrophilicity properties of micro arc oxidized TiO2 porous layers. Pure and V-doped titania layers, with a pore size of 50–400 nm, were grown by micro arc oxidation method. Morphology and topography of the layers were studied by SEM and AFM techniques where formation of a porous structure with a rough surface was confirmed. Moreover, phase structure and chemical composition of the samples were investigated employing XRD and XPS techniques. The pure TiO2 layers consisted of anatase and rutile phase. Vanadia phase was also detected in V-doped layers. It was also revealed that V2O5 not only dispersed in the TiO2 matrix, but also doped into the crystalline lattice. Optical properties and band gap energy of the synthesized layers were evaluated by a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Our results showed that the band gap energy decreased when vanadium was introduced into the titania lattice. Finally, hydrophilicity of the pure and the doped layers was studied under ultraviolet and visible illuminations by measuring the water contact angle on their surface. The V-doped layers, especially those which were grown under intermediate voltages, revealed an enhanced hydrophilicity when compared to the pure TiO2 layers.