SEM (left) and TEM (right) image of a thin film Titania produced via RF sputtering

The objective of the project is to utilize a local radioactive mineral (ilmenite) as a precursor for titania thin film fabrication, and to gauge the potential of the fabricated thin film as a dye synthesized solar cell or electrochromic device electrodes. TiO 2 (titania) is a common chemical that sees wide usage in a variety of applications, such as white pigment of paints, self-cleaning agent in coatings and dye-synthesized solar cell electrodes. It is extracted from minerals through a myriad of processes such as the solgel method (commercial), hydrothermal, sonochemical and electrodeposition. The sources of TiO 2 include synthetic rutile, ilmenite and leucoxene ores. A ceramic, titania can also be doped with rare earth metals (Zr, Fe, Cr) or gaseous atoms (F, Cl, Br), giving way to wondrous physical or chemical properties and enhances its performance in a device or system. Titania comes in many forms and shapes, such as tubes, rods, and belts. It can also be molded into specialized forms, such as thin films. Titania as a thin film sees application as electrodes in dye-synthesized solar cells, electrochromic devices, and water splitting electrodes. Thin film of titania can be fabricated via the solgel method, thermal evaporation and physical vapor deposition (PVD), however, the properties and performance of the thin film may vary depending on its processing routes. For this project, the processing method to produce the thin film will be RF sputtering, due to the non-electrically conductive nature of TiO2. The figures below outlines images of the thin film, and the experimental setup for thin film deposition.

Sputtering of a thin film onto a substrate