Enhanced UV-sensitivity of vis-responsive anatase thin films fabricated by using precursor solutions involving Ti complexes

Fabrication of vis-responsive anatase thin films with enhanced UV-sensitivity was attained on an ITO pre-coated glass substrate by applying two precursor solutions involving Ti complexes of oxalic acid and EDTA. The transparent and crack-free thin films were characterized by XRD, XPS, UV–vis and FE-SEM observation. The highest sensitivity to UV light of the vis-responsive film, whose photocatalytic activity was measured by the decomposition rate of methylene blue, was four times as compared with that formed by a sol–gel method under the same conditions. The vis-responsive films showed a characteristic absorption band at around 480 nm.