Formation of well dispersed TiO2 microcones; the 20% surface occupation

We investigated the effects of applied potential and anodizing time on the morphological and structural changes of TiO2 microcones for different electrolytes. We found that the mean diameter of the TiO2 microcones produced in (COOH)2 linearly increased with the applied voltage, whereas in other electrolytes, the mean diameters converged to a constant value. Regardless of the type of electrolyte used, the percentage of area occupied by the TiO2 microcones is estimated at 20% of the entire surface when the microcones are fully-grown and well-dispersed. All the TiO2 microcones are composed of the anatase phase, the intensity of which increases in the XRD spectra as the voltage or anodizing time increases. We identified the formation mechanism of the TiO2 microcones using early stage current density-time transient graphs and SEM images.