- Titanium Dioxide (TiO2): A Versatile Semiconducting Material for Environmental and Antibacterial Applications

Introduction to Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) .........................................................250 Preparation Protocols .........................................................................................250 Environmentally Friendly Nanotechnology ................................................... 251 Environmental Degradation and Its Solution .................................................254 Antimicrobial Properties ....................................................................................254 Applications of TiO2 Nanomaterials ................................................................255 Societal Issues ......................................................................................................256 Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. 257 Glossary ................................................................................................................ 257 Additional Resources .........................................................................................258 References ............................................................................................................. 259Titanium dioxide (TiO2) exists in three crystalline forms-rutile, brookite, and anatase-all of which have been prepared synthetically. In each type, the titanium ion coordinates with six oxygen atoms, which in turn are linked to three titanium atoms, and so on. Anatase and rutile are tetragonal, whereas brookite is orthorhombic in structure. Brookite and anatase are unstable forms and are not economically signi«cant (Chen & Mao, 2007).