Plasma sputtering depositions with colloidal masks for fabrication of nanostructured surfaces with enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Titanium oxide/silicon oxide (TiO/SiO) 2D patterns were obtained by magnetron sputtering depositions of Ti on close-packed and size-reduced colloidal masks on Si and quartz substrates, followed by mask lift-off and ending with thermal oxidation. The physical processes involved in growing 2D Ti patterns and their oxidation are analyzed. For the magnetron sputtering deposition, two regimes are considered: the low-pressure regime when the flux of sputtered atoms is anisotropic, and the high-pressure regime, when the flux of sputtered atoms is isotropic due to frequent collisions.