Photocatalytic WO ₃ and TiO ₂ Films on Brass

This paper reports on the structure, mechanical, and photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide ( TiO 2 ) and tungsten oxide ( WO 3 ) films on a brass substrate. TiO 2 and WO 3 films have been successfully deposited on brass by a simple sol‐gel dip‐coating method and it has been shown that, while both films possess photocatalytic properties, WO 3 films were superior to TiO 2 . Higher surface area and rod‐like morphology of WO 3 films might have contributed to their higher photocatalytic activity. Nanoindentation results have shown that both films attach well to the substrate and possess good mechanical properties.