In this paper designing, preparation and characterization of multifunctional coatings based on TiO2/SiO2 has been described. TiO2 was used as a high index material, whereas SiO2 was used as a low index material. Multilayers were deposited on microscope slide substrates by microwave assisted reactive magnetron sputtering process. Multilayer design was optimized for residual reflection of about 3% in visible spectrum (450–800 nm). As a top layer, TiO2 with a fixed thickness of 10 nm as a protective film was deposited. Based on transmittance and reflectance spectra, refractive indexes of TiO2 and SiO2 single layers were calculated. Ultra high vacuum atomic force microscope was used to characterize the surface properties of TiO2/SiO2 multilayer. Surface morphology revealed densely packed structure with grains of about 30 nm in size. Prepared samples were also investigated by nanoindentation to evaluate their protective performance against external hazards. Therefore, the hardness of the thin films was measured and it was equal to 9.34 GPa. Additionally, contact angle of prepared coatings has been measured to assess the wetting properties of the multilayer surface.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

In this paper, a comparison of TiO2 thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering with a continuous and pulsed gas flow was presented. Structural, surface, optical, and mechanical properties of deposited titanium dioxide coatings were analyzed with the use of a wide range of measurement techniques. It was found that thin films deposited with a gas impulse had a nanocrystalline rutile structure instead of fibrous-like anatase obtained with a continuous gas flow. TiO2 thin films deposited with both techniques were transparent in the visible wavelength range, however, a much higher refractive index and packing density were observed for coatings deposited by the pulsed gas technique. The application of a gas impulse improved the hardness and scratch resistance of the prepared TiO2 thin films.