• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1051-1054
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• 2004

The structural transformation behavior of $Na_2Ti_3O_7$ by hydrolysis was investigated in mild and strong acidic aqueous medium. Compared with $K_2Ti_4O_9,\;Na_2Ti_3O_7$ exhibits quite different structural and morphological transformation behavior despite their similar layered structural characteristics. $TiO_2(B)$ obtained by heat treatment of $H_2Ti_3O_7\;at\;350^{\circ}C$ transforms to rutile $H_2Ti_3O_7\;at\;900^{\circ}C$. This temperature is much lower than $1200{\circ}C$, the temperature for anatase to rutile transition when $K_2Ti_4O_9$ is used as a starting titanate. A rectangular rod shape and size of $TiO_2(B)$ particles obtained from $Na_2Ti_3O_7$ is also different from a fibrous structure of $TiO_2(B)$ prepared using $K_2Ti_4O_9$. Rutile crystals of 100 nm diameter with a corn-like morphology and large surface area are directly obtained when the hydrolysis of $Na_2Ti_3O_7$ is carried out at $100^{\circ}C$ in a strong acid solution. The structure of starting titanates and the hydrolysis conditions are an important factor to decide the particle size and morphology of $TiO_2(B)\;and\;TiO_2$.