Stabilization of anatase phase in the rare earth; Eu and Sm ion doped nanoparticle TiO2

The extension of temperature range of anatase phase for nanoparticle TiO2 has been achieved by doping the rare earth; Sm and Eu ions, respectively. The TiO2 films and nanoparticles were prepared from Ti-(IV)-isopropoxide (TTIP) based on the sol–gel method at the varied sintering temperature from 400 to 950 °C for 1 h. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra revealed significantly delaying of the phase transition from anatase to rutile by RE ions doping. The film morphology by atomic force microscopy (AFM) for doped films showed reduction of particle sizes as well as formation of uniform films. According to the structural studies, it is concluded that the RE ions has influenced greatly on the stabilization of anatase phase.