Low temperature synthesis and mechanism of finely dispersed nanorod rutile titanium dioxide

Abstract

As a kind of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructured material, nanorod rutile titanium dioxide (TiO₂) with high surface-to-volume ratio shows potential applications in UV-ray shielding, self-cleaning devices, energy conversion and storage. Well dispersed rod-shaped rutile was prepared by hydrolysis of TiCl₄ with hydrochloric acid (HCl) solutions and FeCl₃ at low temperature. The crystalline form and morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrum and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The doping of iron was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. A series of experiments were conducted to figure out the effects of reaction conditions on the crystalline form and shape of the powders. The results showed that either change of acids (H₂SO₄ or HNO₃) or varying of cations (NaCl or AlCl₃) leaded to a mixed products or pure anatase. A possible mechanism was proposed to explain why the change of minerals or acids would make such a remarkable difference.