New strategy for creating TiO₂ thin films with embedded au nanoparticles

This paper proposes a new strategy for producing thin films of TiO₂ with embedded gold nanoparticles (TiO₂/AuNP). One of the main tasks was the synthesis of a stable dispersion of TiO₂ and gold nanoparticles in an aqueous solution of ethylene glycol, suitable for inkjet printing—ink with complex gold nanoparticles (AuCNP ink). The AuCNP were synthesized by a reduction from tetrachloroauric acid in the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles and ethylene glycol (EG). The final formation of TiO₂/AuNP films occurred during the annealing of AuCNP layers, inkjet printed on a glass substrate. The TiO₂/AuNP films demonstrate absorbance in the yellow-green range due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and are promising for solar cell application.