Preparation and characterization of a novel solid titania precursor

Titania (TiO2) is an important metal-oxide semiconductor and has a broad range of industrial applications in areas including pigment, photocatalysts, solar cells, ceramics, inorganic membranes, sensors, nonlinear optics and environmental purification, etc. Titania is often prepared using titania precursors. Here we report preparation of a novel solid titania precursor using a simple synthetic method, with a general chemical formula of TiSO4(AcAc)2−n(OH)n · mH2O (n < 2 and m < 2), that possesses high stability against hydrolysis and can be very conveniently employed for preparation of fine titania particles with no need of any solvent. Well dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles with an average size of about 20 nm are prepared by directly annealing the solid titania precursor at 600 °C for 2 h. Characterization of the new solid titania precursor is carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD).