Synthesis of nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 by microwave hydrothermal method

Abstract Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide in the anatase phase has been obtained using urea and TiOCl2 by microwave hydrothermal method. A mixture of urea and TiOCl2 in 5 : 1 molar ratio is processed in a microwave hydrothermal autoclave for 3 min to precipitate anatase powders. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies on these oven-dried powders indicated the formation of single phase anatase. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations revealed the average particle size of these powders to be 10 nm.