Controlling Size, Shape and Polymorph of TiO2 Nanoparticles by Temperature-Controlled Hydrothermal Treatment

The crystallization and morphology change of amorphous titanias by hydrothermal treatment have been investigated. The amorphous titanias were prepared by pure water hydrolysis of two different precursors, titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and TTIP modified with acetic acid (HOAc) and characterized prior to hydrothermal treatment. In order to avoid complicate situation, the hydrothermal treatment was performed in a single solvent water with and without strong acids at various temperatures. The effects of strong acid, temperature and time were systematically investigated on the transformation of amorphous titania to crystalline TiO₂ under simple hydrothermal condition. Without strong acid the titanias were transformed into only anatase phase nanoparticle regardless of precursor type, temperature and time herein used (up to 250 ℃ and 48 hours). The treatment temperature and time effected only on the crystalline size, not on the crystal phase et al. However, it was clearly revealed that the strong acids such as HNO₃ and HCl catalyzed the formation of rutile phase depending on temperature. HCl was slightly better than HNO₃ in this catalytic activity. The morphology of rutile TiO₂ formed was also a little affected by the type of acid. The precursor modifier, HOAc slightly reduced the catalytic activity of the strong acids in rutile phase formation.