Improvement on the Property of TiO2 Films due to Plasma Processing

TiO
₂
films are known to be effective as a photo-catalyst for abatement of NOx and volatile organic compounds. However, they can't normally be activated with visible rays. The TiO
₂
films have been processed by hydrogen or nitrogen plasma in order to absorb some of visible rays. The abatement experiments of NOx and HCHO using the TiO
₂
films were carried out. The results showed that the reduction rate of NOx by the hydrogen plasma processed TiO
₂
film was higher than that of the nitrogen plasma processed one by 1.1 times and that of no processed one by 1.7 times when using a chemical lamp and by more than 10 times when using an ordinary fluorescent lamp, which suggests that the plasma processed TiO
₂
films are activated with visible rays