Several shape-controlled TiO2/TiB2 hybrid materials with a combined growth mechanism

Several kinds of TiO2/TiB2 hybrid materials with different morphologies, including hollow bipyramid structure with truncations, pineapple structure, urchin structure and nanowall structure, have been successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal approach in the aqueous solution of ethylenediamine. The effect of ethylene ediamine on the shape change of the final products was investigated in detail. With the increase of ethylenediamine, anatase TiO2 on the TiB2 core is gradually evolved from nanoparticles, nanorods to nanosheets. Based on attachment theory, Oswald ripening phenomenon, chelating effect and Kirkendall effect, a possible formation mechanism for such TiO2/TiB2 hybrid materials was proposed to explain the morphology evolution.