Enhanced photoinduced super-hydrophilicity of the sol–gel-derived TiO2 thin films by Fe-doping

Fe-doped TiO2 nanometer thin films were prepared on soda-lime glass pre-coated with a SiO2 layer by a dip-coating method from a precursor solution containing ferric nitrate followed by calcination at 500 °C for 2 h. It was found that TiO2 thin films doped with Fe3+ at 0.05–0.2 at.% show the greatest photoinduced super-hydrophilicity and the slowest conversion rate from the hydrophilic to a hydrophobic state.