Sol-Gel Preparation of Thick TiO₂ Films for Structural Coloration

摘要： We studied sol-gel processing of thick and crack-free TiO2 films to synthesize structural color materials. The viscosity of the alkoxide-based precursor sols was stabilized by the addition of acetyl acetone, which improved control of the spin coating thickness. We used a TiO2/SiO2/TiO2 triple-layer structure and second-order reflection conditions to produce structural coloration. This design yielded a sharp spectral peak and bright coloration; however, a TiO2 layer with a thickness greater than 200 nm was required, which is much thicker than that required for the first-order of reflection. Crack formation in the thick films was suppressed by the addition of ethyl cellulose to the precursor sols. As a consequence, color-tuned TiO2/SiO2/TiO2 films were successfully prepared and exhibited various bright colors in the visible light wavelength range, including two primary colors of light, namely blue and green. Green coloration from flake-shaped particles was also demonstrated.