10.57647/ijnd.2026.1704.07

Annealing-Induced Structural and Surface Evolution in Ti/TiO₂ Thin Films

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  • Esraa Almajarish1,
  • Kamal Kayed*1,
  1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria

Received: 2026-04-17

Revised: 2026-05-29

Accepted: 2026-06-13

Published Online: 2026-07-30

Copyright (c) 2026 Esraa Almajarish, Kamal Kayed (Author)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Almajarish, E., & Kayed, K. (2026). Annealing-Induced Structural and Surface Evolution in Ti/TiO₂ Thin Films. International Journal of Nano Dimension, 17(2 (April 2026). https://doi.org/10.57647/ijnd.2026.1704.07
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Abstract

This study investigates the influence of annealing temperature on the structural, compositional, and nanoscale morphological evolution of thermally oxidized Ti/TiO₂ thin films with a thickness of approximately 120 nm. Titanium films deposited by electron-beam evaporation were annealed in air over the temperature range of 100–500 °C and characterized using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Raman analysis revealed temperature-dependent variations in peak position, linewidth, and relative spectral contributions, indicating progressive structural reorganization and modification of the local vibrational environment during thermal treatment. Complementary XRD measurements supported the presence of annealing-induced structural evolution associated with anatase-, rutile-, and brookite-related contributions. The Raman linewidth exhibited a non-linear dependence on annealing temperature, reflecting variations in structural heterogeneity and local ordering. EDS analysis showed non-monotonic variations in the O/Ti atomic ratio, while AFM observations demonstrated a gradual transition from irregular surface morphologies toward more compact nanoscale structures with increasing annealing temperature. This evolution was accompanied by a systematic decrease in surface roughness (Rq) and a reduction in the lateral dimensions of surface features, indicating progressive nanoscale densification. The combined results demonstrate that thermal annealing induces interconnected structural and morphological modifications in Ti/TiO₂ thin films, highlighting the importance of correlating vibrational, compositional, and surface analyses for understanding thermally oxidized oxide systems.

Keywords

  • Anatase–rutile transition,
  • Nanostructures,
  • Phase evolution,
  • Surface roughness (Rq),
  • Thermal oxidation,
  • TiO₂ thin films
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