TutorialMorphology of TiO2 nanotubes revealed through electron tomography

- Electron tomography technique allows to visualize real structure of TiO2 nanotubes.
- 3D structure reconstructions were used for microstructure quantification.
- The applied anodization voltage influence on specific surface area, volume and porosity of created structure.

In this work, scanning-transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography was successfully applied to characterize the three-dimensional structure of titanium oxide nanotubes prepared by the electrochemical anodization of the Ti substrate. The results provided detailed information about the morphology of nanotubes as well as insight into their growth. The segmentation of reconstructed images made it possible to estimate the surface area and volume of the nanotubes. The highest specific surface area was obtained for the lowest anodization voltage of 10 V, and corresponds closely to that obtained using the porosimetry technique.