X-RAY-DIFFRACTION STUDY OF TIO2 THIN-FILMS ON MICA

Thin layers of polycrystalline TiO2 were deposited on flaky muscovite and phlogopite particles. Deposition was performed in water slurry using aqueous TiCl4 as titanium source. The effect of heat treatments on the structure of TiO2 thin films was investigated at different layer thicknesses. On muscovite mica the films crystallized as anatase TiO2. On phlogopite mica the increasing layer thickness favored partial rutile formation at higher calcination temperatures, although the films could not be converted to pure rutile. The preferred orientation of the TiO2 films was evident. The most intense reflections were measured from (004) and (105) planes. The crystallite size of TiO2 was strongly dependent on calcination temperature and TiO2 layer thickness. It varied between 15 and 47 nm for films deposited on phlogopite, and 15 and 57 nm for films deposited on muscovite. © 1992.