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Nanostructure morphology influences in electrical properties of titanium dioxide thin films

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Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a semiconductor that can be applied in different technological areas. In this work, we investigated the modifications of the electrical properties of thin films composed of TiO2 nanoparticles produced with different morphologies. The solvothermal route used for the synthesis allowed the production of nanoparticles with functionalized surfaces due to oleate groups. It was possible to modulate nanocrystals shape and size due to the detachment crystal growth mechanism, by changing the reaction time. Nanorods were obtained using 4 h of synthesis, and an increase in the reaction time to 64 h led to a bipyramidal morphology. The functionalization by the organic ligand allowed the preparation of stable colloidal solutions, which were used to prepare thin films by the dip-coating method. The films presented a homogeneous surface, an average thickness around 100 nm, and no agglomerations were observed. The electrical resistance measurements indicated a typical behavior of semiconductors, and they were dependent on the nanoparticle morphology. An exploratory test indicated that the thin films prepared using nanorod particles presented a higher electrical response compared with isotropic particles, when exposed in a liquefied petroleum gas vapor atmosphere. Therefore, the morphology of the nanoparticles is a key factor for the further application of these thin films in gas sensing. Employing an easy methodology which required simple apparatus, and by using reaction time modulation only, it was possible to prepare homogeneous thin films with a tunable electrical response.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo (Fapes), and Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes) for the research funding and the scholarships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Vitória, 29075-910, Espírito Santo, Brazil

    Cleocir José Dalmaschio, Patrick Pires Conti & Eupídio Scopel

  2. Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), 13565-905, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Patrick Pires Conti & Edson Roberto Leite

  3. Department of Physical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas (Unicamp), 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Eupídio Scopel

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  1. Cleocir José Dalmaschio
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Correspondence to Cleocir José Dalmaschio.

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Dalmaschio, C.J., Conti, P.P., Scopel, E. et al. Nanostructure morphology influences in electrical properties of titanium dioxide thin films. Journal of Materials Research 35, 3012–3020 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2020.235

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