A facile low-temperature synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles with excellent polymorph control

Abstract

A facile low-temperature synthesis method of crystalline titanium dioxide nanoparticles has been developed, and the effect of temperature and acidity on polymorph selectivity has been systematically investigated. The crystal polymorph of titanium dioxide could be tuned by carefully controlling the condensation rate of titania. Conditions providing high condensation rate favoured the formation of the anatase and brookite phases, while lowering the condensation rate yielded higher rutile content. The reaction was found to proceed either in liquid state for reactions performed at low temperatures and high acidity or in a sol–gel manner for higher temperatures and lower acidity. The aggregation behaviour was found to be strongly affected by the employed synthesis conditions and by the crystal polymorph formed. The design of a facile low-temperature synthesis system with predictive control of polymorph selectivity is important for further development of titania-based materials for applications where type of polymorph is vital, such as photocatalytic and photonic.