Formation and Characterization of TiO₂/CNT Nanomaterials Dried under Supergravity Conditions

Abstract

The elaboration of bilayerTiO2/CNTfilms dried under terrestrial gravity conditions (g) and on a centrifuge with 1.3gand 7gis reported. The changes in microstructure and thickness of these coatings under supergravity environment cause a red-shift tendency in the optical properties at increasing values of acceleration. Experiments of a drop under enhanced gravity force in the range of 3.7 < Bo (bond number) < 51.5 suggest the incomplete elimination of surfactant-water molecules in theTiO2/CNTbilayer film. Increasing acceleration up to 14gwill widen the optical differences found, proving the layer-by-layer solution-chemical method in combination with these drying protocols, an alternative to produce thickness-sensitive solar-selective absorbing coatings.