Multivalent Mn-doped TiO2 thin films

Thin films of TiO2 doped with Mn were deposited on F-doped SnO2-coated glass using spin coating. The concentration of the dopant was in the range 0–7 wt% Mn (metal basis). The films were examined in terms of the structural, chemical, and optical properties. Glancing angle X-ray diffraction data show that the films consisted of the anatase polymorph of TiO2, without any contaminant phases. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data indicate the presence of Mn3+ and Mn4+ in the doped films as well as atomic disorder and associated structural distortion. Ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry data show that the optical indirect band gap of the films decreased significantly with increasing manganese doping, from 3.32 eV for the undoped composition to 2.90 eV for that doped with 7 wt% Mn.