Effect of heat treatment temperature on super-hydrophilic property of enamels with titanium dioxide thin film

Enamels coated with TiO2 thin films were prepared through a dip-coating process in a Ti(OC4H9)4–C2H5OH–H2O sol–gel solution. Upon thermal treatment at different temperatures, TiO2 with different crystalline structures are formed, in which the main crystal of the titanium dioxide film is anatase when the heating temperature is below 600 °C. Measurements on the surface wetting property illustrate that the hydrophilic property of TiO2-coated enamel was greatly increased by heating and, notably, the anatase TiO2 film appears to have stronger hydrophilic property. The crystal structure, surface morphology and adhesive strength of the TiO2 film are also analyzed through XRD and SEM patterns.