Inductive heating hydrothermal synthesis of titanium dioxide nanostructures

Nanocrystalline powders of pure anatase and rutile/anatase mixture type of titania with different morphology were prepared through hydrothermal method using titanium tetrachloride in water/citric acid and n-butanol, at 200 °C in Teflon lined steel autoclave using inductive heating. The influences of hydrothermal treatment conditions on the formation features, phase composition, particle size and morphology of the products were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results are compared with titanium dioxide powders obtained through classical hydrothermal synthesis, at same temperature. It was found that inductive heating hydrothermal processing results in formation of considerably low dimensional dispersion of titania nanostructures and the time for synthesis is also much smaller.

► Nanosized TiO2 powders synthesis by hydrothermal method through inductive heating are proposed.
► The novelty consists in a much faster hydrothermal synthesis method in metal autoclave than related work in the literature.
► This technique include efficient energy transfer, rapid processing of materials with cost reduction and energy saving.
► The premature nucleation and transitory processes are almost avoided, and the crystallization is taking place in isothermal conditions.
► Dimensional dispersion of particles obtained through this method is lower than particles obtained through classical hydrothermal method.