Effect of TiCl4 treatment time on the properties of anatase TiO2 thin films synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique.

In this study, three titanium dioxide (TiO2) samples were prepared on FTO substrate through the process of spray pyrolysis at 280 °C and the influence of TiCl4 treatment on their electrochemical properties was studied. The synthesized films were studied to understand their structure, surface morphologies, optical, and electrochemical characteristics through the use of X-ray diffractometry, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Ultraviolet–Visible spectrophotometry, Photoluminescence, and electrochemical techniques. The anatase phase was revealed from the XRD and Raman spectra with the most prominent peak observed at the (004) plane. Porous films with an average surface roughness of 36.95 nm were obtained from the morphology study. Optical studies recorded increased transmittance values with band gap energy that ranged from 2.71 to 2.76 eV. Increased carrier mobility with improved charge storage feature was also observed from the plots. The synthesized films find potential application in solar cells and supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]