TEHRAN, Iran – Materials engineering and metallurgic researchers of the University of Tehran have succeeded in the creation of a dense nanostructured coating made of titania by combining sol-gel and electrophoresis methods.

The thickness of the coating is controllable by using parameters of titania sol. This method enables the production of nanostructure titania coatings, especially semi-conducting ceramics required in various electronic and optical industries, including photovoltaic industries.

Results of the research showed that the rate of hydrolysis reaction in titania sol greatly affected the rate of deposition in the electrophoresis sol-gel method. Increase in amount of water and the concentration of alkoxide pre-material and decrease in the amount of acidic catalyst increase the rate of hydrolysis reaction, and consequently, it results in an increase in the rate of deposition in this process.

The use of different mathematical methods in deposition processes, especially processes that deal with various chemical reactions, can play an important role in the development and commercialization of the processes. The modeling of electrophoresis sol-gel deposition method in this research showed that this method can be a good approach for the production of nanostructured titania coatings by using its own sol, because it enables the control of thickness of the formed layer.

Taking into account the results obtained from this research, a wide range of nanostructured materials, especially semi-conductive ceramics, can be produced through this method with controlled thickness.

The research results have been published in Ceramics International, volume 40.