Direct Conversion of TiO₂ Sol to Nanocrystalline Anatase at 85 °C

Nanocrystalline TiO₂ anatase with particle size in the range of 5–7 nm has been prepared by in situ cracking of the sol at 85 °C, thereby avoiding the intermediate gel formation process. Hydrolysis of Ti(O-isoPr)₄ was carried out in excess of 2-propanol to keep the suspension of fine particles from agglomeration. Differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), and electron microscopy have been used to characterize the samples. Gel to crystalline conversion, which requires a temperature of at least 400 °C, can be achieved by digesting the TiO₂ sol at 85 °C. XRD and selected area electron diffraction patterns show the presence of a small amount of brookite phase along with the major anatase phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that the average grain size of TiO₂ particle remains around 5–9 nm even when heated at 510 °C.