Mechanochemical synthesis of anatase and rutile nanopowders from TiOSO4

The synthesis of titanium dioxide phases rutile and anatase via mechanochemical reaction and subsequent annealing of the products was studied. TiOSO4·xH2O and anhydrous Na2CO3 powders in the molar ratio 1:1 were used as starting reactants. The Na2SO4·xH2O by-product was removed by simple water washing process. The synthesis of nanocrystalline rutile is almost complete after 60 min milling and particles with average size of 15 nm were obtained. Nanoparticles of anatase with average size of 5–35 nm were obtained after 5 min milling and subsequent annealing at 300–600 °C.