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Laser‐Assisted, Large‐Area Selective Crystallization and Patterning of Titanium Dioxide Polymorphs
Author(s) -
Gerlein Luis Felipe,
Benavides-Guerrero Jaime Alberto,
Cloutier Sylvain G.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced engineering materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1527-2648
pISSN - 1438-1656
DOI - 10.1002/adem.201901014
Subject(s) - materials science , titanium dioxide , photovoltaics , amorphous solid , dopant , anatase , nanotechnology , rutile , crystallization , fabrication , photocatalysis , laser , electronics , laser power scaling , titanium , chemical engineering , doping , optoelectronics , photovoltaic system , metallurgy , optics , organic chemistry , catalysis , ecology , chemistry , pathology , biology , medicine , alternative medicine , engineering , physics
Although ubiquitous in multiple industrial applications, the widespread use of solution‐based precursors for crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) for optoelectronic device integration remains limited due to its high processing temperature. This limitation generates material compatibility issues and complicates the fabrication steps, especially for low‐temperature substrates used in flexible hybrid electronics and low‐cost photovoltaics. It is currently possible to crystallize TiO 2 at lower processing temperatures, but it requires a carefully controlled atmosphere or metallic doping of the amorphous precursor and can only achieve a low‐yield conversion of the precursor. Herein, a qualitative method is presented for the processing of an amorphous photosensitive precursor to achieve high‐yield conversion to highly crystalline TiO 2 at room temperature and in ambient environment without added dopants using a low‐energy laser. Moreover, it demonstrates the ability to controllably convert precursor solutions to anatase or rutile TiO 2 only by adjusting the laser power density. A real potential for the additive manufacturing of TiO 2 structures for photocatalysis, printable flexible hybrid electronics, and low‐cost photovoltaics using low‐energy laser processing that is compatible with heat‐sensitive materials and flexible substrates is shown.