To obtain nanocrystalline TiO2/ZnO, the following procedure
was used. Liquid TiCl3 was dissolved in water in the desired
concentration. Two milliliters of TiCl3 (20-30 wt % in HCl,
Aldrich Chemicals, U.S.A.) was added to an ice-cooled mixture
consisting of 20 mL of deionized water (18 M¿ cm). The pH
was adjusted to 3.0-3.5 using a 7% ammonium hydroxide
solution with constant stirring. After stirring for 30 min, a
homogeneous violet-black colored solution was obtained, which
was stable for a period of several hours at room temperature.
Clean indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were floated on the
surface of the dilute solution at room temperature (27 °C) to
deposit a thin film. The solution became turbid after soaking
for a period of about 15 min. After soaking for 6 h, the substrate
was carefully rinsed with deionized water, ultrasonically cleaned
with deionized water, and then dried under flowing argon gas.
After a period of 6 h, the solution color changed from violet-