title: Effect of SiN x diffusion barrier thickness on the structural properties and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films obtained by sol-gel dip coating and reactive magnetron sputtering.
abstract: We investigate the effect of the thickness of the silicon nitride (SiN x ) diffusion barrier on the structural and photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 films obtained with different processes. We show that the structural and photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 films produced using soft chemistry (sol-gel) and physical methods (reactive sputtering) are affected differentially by the intercalating SiN x diffusion barrier. Increasing the thickness of the SiN x diffusion barrier induced a gradual decrease of the crystallite size of TiO2 films obtained by the sol-gel process. However, TiO2 obtained using the reactive sputtering method showed no dependence on the thickness of the SiN x barrier diffusion. The SiN x barrier diffusion showed a beneficial effect on the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 films regardless of the synthesis method used. The proposed mechanism leading to the improvement in the photocatalytic efficiency of the TiO2 films obtained by each process was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de physique des surfaces et interfaces, Université de Mons - UMONS, 20 Place du Parc, 7000 Mons, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mohamed Nawfal
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ghazzal
authors.affiliation: Institut Femto-ST (UMR 6174 CNRS), UFC, ENSMM, UTBM, 32 Avenue de l'Observatoire, 25044 Besançon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aubry
authors.affiliation: LCP-A2MC, Institut Jean Barriol, Université de Lorraine, 1 Bd Arago, 57070 Metz, France.
authors.forename: Nouari
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaoui
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Matériaux, Surfaces et Procédés pour la Catalyse, CNRS-UMR 7515, Antenne de Saint-Avold, Université de Lorraine, Rue Victor Demange, 57500 Saint-Avold, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Robert
keywords: SiNx; TiO2; diffusion barrier; photocatalysis; reactive sputtering; sol–gel; titanium dioxide film