Efficient microwave hydrothermal preparation of nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 colloids

Abstract

Titanium dioxide nanocrystals are an important commercial product used primarily in white pigments and abrasives, however, more recently the anatase form of TiO₂ has become a major component in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical devices. An important property of titanium dioxide nanocrystals for electrical applications is the degree of crystallinity. Numerous preparation methods exist for the production of highly crystalline TiO₂ particles. The majority of these processes require long reaction times, high pressures and temperatures (450–1400 °C). Recently, hydrothermal treatment of colloidal TiO₂ suspensions has been shown to produce quality crystalline products at low temperatures (2 is presented. The resulting highly crystalline TiO₂ colloids were characterised using Raman spectroscopy, XRD, TEM, and electron diffraction. The results show that the microwave treatment of colloidal TiO₂ gives comparable increases in crystallinity with respect to normal hydrothermal treatments while requiring significantly less time and energy than the hydrothermal convection treatment.