Solvothermal synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanosheets with exposed {001} facets

Abstract

Enhancing the catalytic activity of titania (TiO2) nanomaterials by controlling the size, surface area and percentage of highly reactive exposed {001} facets has become attractive in the recent years because of its wider applications in the different fields of scientific research. In the present study, anatase TiO2 nano-sized sheets (TNS) were synthesized using a simple ethanol assisted solvothermal chemical route. The TNS structures were characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscopic (TEM), Raman analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Accelerated surface area and porosimetry (ASAP) analysis. The results from TEM, Raman and XRD analysis confirmed the presence of anatase crystalline structure of TNS with the size range of 20-40 nm. The synthesized TNS structures possess 60% of highly reactive exposed {001} facets with a total surface area of 73 m²/g. These tremendous crystalline properties of solvothermally synthesized TNS structure makes it as an attractive catalyst for environmental and bio-fuel applications.