Synthesis of titanate-based lepidocrocite nanostructures by reacting TiC, TiB2, and TiN with NaOH or KOH at 95 °C under ambient pressure

Abstract

With great optical, catalytic and electrical characteristics, titania (TiO2) and TiO2-based titanates present many potential applications in chemical and photocatalysis, solar cells, electrochemical water splitting, chemical/gas sensing, among others. Herein, we show that lepidocrocite-based titanates of low-dimensional nanotubes, NTs, nanowires, NWs, and nanoribbons, NRs, can be synthesized near ambient conditions through a bottom-up approach starting with titanium carbide, TiC, nitride, TiN, or boride, TiB2. Successful reactions were conducted at 95 °C in alkaline solutions of sodium hydroxide, NaOH, or potassium hydroxide, KOH, thereby producing NTs/NRs, and NWs, respectively. Such nanostructures self-assemble into fibrous structures that, in turn, form free flowing, mesoporous particles. The production of these materials from common binary Ti precursors under such relatively mild reaction conditions highlights a breakthrough in the efficient and scalable production of low-dimensional titanate materials. We synthesized and characterized these materials under various conditions and believe they present significant potential where similar titanate species have succeeded.