Experimental Study of Acid Treatment Toward Characterization of Structural, Optical, and Morphological Properties of TiO₂-SnO₂ Composite Thin Film

The TiO₂-SnO₂ thin film with single and double-layer structure has successfully synthesized on FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrate using the screen printing technique. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of the film were investigated by XRD, UV-Vis, and SEM, respectively. The results showed that the single and double-layer structure of TiO₂-SnO₂ thin film has mixed phase with a strong formation of casseritte phase. The acid treatment effect on TiO₂-SnO₂ thin film decreases the peak intensity of anatase phase formation and thin film's absorbance values. The morphological study is also revealed that the single layer TiO₂-SnO₂ thin film had a more porous nature and decreased particle size distribution after acid treatment, while the double-layer TiO₂-SnO₂ thin film Eroded due to acid treatment. (paper)