Synthesis and structural characterization of twinned V-shaped IrO2 nanowedges on TiO2 nanorods via MOCVD

IrO2 nanocrystals (NCs) were grown on top of rutile (R) TiO2 nanorods (NRs) sitting on sapphire (SA) (1 0 0) substrate via metal organic chemical vapor deposition by using (C6H7)(C8H12)Ir and Ti[OCH(CH3)2]4 as source reagents. The surface morphology and structural properties of the as-deposited NCs were characterized. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy images and X-ray diffraction patterns indicate growth of V-shaped IrO2(1 0 1) nanowedges (NWs) on top of R-TiO2 NRs. Transmission electron microscopy and selected-area electron diffractometry characterizations of IrO2 NCs showed that the NWs were crystalline IrO2 with a twin plane of (1 0 1) and twin direction of [1¯01] at the V-junction.