Optical and hydrophilic properties of Cr doped TiO2–SiO2 nanostructure thin film

Cr doped TiO2–SiO2 nanostructure thin film on glass substrates was prepared by a sol–gel dip coating process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the structural and chemical properties of the films. A UV–vis spectrophotometer was used to measure the transmittance spectra of the thin film. The hydrophilicity of the thin film during irradiation and storage in a dark place was measured by a contact angle analyzer. The results indicated that Cr doping has a significant effect on the transmittance and super-hydrophilicity of TiO2–SiO2 thin film.