Synthesis of TiO₂ mesoporous film with the effect of 200 eV argon ion beam on its surface chemistry

This work presents an elegant and systematic method to study the effect of a 200 eV Ar ion beam on TiO₂ semiconductor mesopores film. Argon ion beam (Ar⁺) of 200 eV energy was irradiated on the prepared TiO₂ film (thickness ∼ 20 μm) at different irradiation times of 0, 150, 250, 350, and 450 s. The irradiated samples were subsequently characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The survey spectrum reveals the presence of elemental composition of titanium (Ti 2p), oxygen (O 1s), and carbon (C 1s). The compositional ratio of Ti³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ increases and lattice oxygen/Ti 2p decreases with an increase in irradiation time which confirms the creation of oxygen vacancy as the irradiation time progresses. The demonstrated oxygen vacancy induction potentials would be highly meritorious in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of the semiconductor under visible light for various applications.