Formation and investigation of sol–gel TiO2–V2O5 system

A TiO2–V2O5 colloidal solution was obtained with a stability of more than 2 years. Xerogels, dried at 80 °C and treated at 300 and 560 °C, were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that the sample treated at 300 °C is amorphous, and crystallization began after 450 °C. Vanadium-doped titanium dioxide thin films were prepared by using sol–gel dipping technique. Highly transparent TiO2–V2O5 coatings were formed on quartz substrates. The optical properties of the sol–gel mixed thin films were characterized as a function of the annealing temperatures from 200 to 650 °C.