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Synthesis, structural and optical properties of well dispersed anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles by non‐hydrothermal method
Author(s) -
Christy P. Dennis,
Jothi N. S. Nirmala,
Melikechi N.,
Sagayaraj P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
crystal research and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0232-1300
DOI - 10.1002/crat.200900001
Subject(s) - anatase , nanocrystalline material , crystallite , alkoxide , materials science , absorption edge , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , hydrothermal circulation , particle size , absorption (acoustics) , hydrothermal synthesis , thermal decomposition , luminescence , absorption spectroscopy , nanotechnology , chemistry , band gap , photocatalysis , organic chemistry , catalysis , metallurgy , physics , optoelectronics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material
The formation of nanocrystalline TiO 2 particles has been investigated via a surfactant‐free synthetic non‐hydrothermal method. Titanium isopropoxide and toluene were used as the starting materials. At a low temperature of 250 °C for 6 h, the reaction mixture turned in to a white precipitate (TiO 2 ) as a result of the thermal decomposition of metal alkoxide. The obtained product was found to crystallize purely in the anatase phase with well defined morphology. The powder XRD study confirms that the average size of the particle is close to ∼15 nm. The TEM analysis indicates the sizes of the primary and secondary particles in the range between 8‐10 nm and 15‐20 nm respectively. The quantum size confinement of the crystallites is evident from the blue shift of the absorption edge in the UV‐Visible absorption spectrum. The luminescence property of the TiO 2 nanoparticles studied by the emission spectrum confirms the presence of defect levels caused by the oxygen vacancies. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)