Fabrication and Characterization of TiO2 Nano Rods by Electrochemical Deposition into an Anodic Alumina Template

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorods have been successfully grown into a track-etched anodized aluminium oxide membrane (AAM) by a particulate electrochemical deposition from an aqueous medium. The prepared TiO2 sols get stabilized against aging at pH 2. It was found that TiO2 nanorods grown from dilute aqueous solution with a low concentration gave a stable and uniform growth. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that TiO2 nanorods dried at 500°C were a mixture of anatase and brookite phases. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) images confirmed that TiO2 nanorods had a smooth morphology and longitudinal uniformity in diameter. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showed that TiO2 nanorods grown by electrochemical deposition from the dilute aqueous sol had a dense structure and possessed a repetitive pattern, containing small particles with an average size of 15 nm. Based on kinetic studies, it was found that uniform TiO2 nanorods with high-quality morphology were obtained under optimum conditions at an applied potential of 5 V, a uniform current density of 500 mA, and a deposition time of 5 h.