Evaporizing-deposition to synthesize micro- and nanoscale spherical anatase TiO₂ film

Micro-and nanoscale spherical anatase TiO₂ films have been successfully prepared via evaporizing-deposition route. The morphology and the crystalline structure of the samples were characterized in more detail with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The TiO₂ films with micro-and nanoscale surface structures can be constructed by simply adjusting the evaporation condition of TiCl₄ in the air after being annealed. These surfaces can be turned from super-hydrophilic to super-hydrophobic after modification with a thin layer of hydrophobic silicone, mainly depending on the surface morphology.