Influence of the heating temperature on the properties of nickel doped TiO2 films prepared by sol–gel method

Formation and properties of nickel doped TiO2 films prepared by sol–gel method were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The results demonstrate that sizes of TiO2 crystallites increase with increasing heating temperature. Also, at temperatures above 800 image C diffusion of nickel onto the surfaces results in increased concentrations of nickel compounds on the surfaces. Similar to pure TiO2 films the light-induced modification of hydrophilicity is observed also in the case of nickel doped TiO2 films.