Formation of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles by simple polymer gel technique and their properties

Pure anatase nano-TiO2 powders were successfully prepared by a simple polymer gel technique using poly-(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as the polymer. The products were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV–visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence studies. The XRD and XPS results indicate that the prepared powder had a pure anatase nano-TiO2 structure with lattice parameters a and c of 0.378 and 0.951 nm, respectively. The particle size analysed by TEM ranged between 7 and 12 nm. The maximum UV absorption for the TiO2 nanoparticles was below 400 nm with an estimated direct band gap (Eg) of 3.55 eV. The photoluminescence peaks of the nanopowder were observed at 391 and 468 nm. The nanosized materials were produced using a simple and cost effective polymer gel technique.

Graphical abstractNano-TiO2 powder was synthesized by a simple polymer gel technique. Poly-(vinylpyrrolidone) was used as the dispersing agent. The figure shows homogeneous with dense TiO2 nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C sample. TEM micrographs confirmed that the size of the anatase TiO2 particle was around 12 nm. The highlight of this work is to prepare nanosized materials using a simple and cost effective polymer gel technique.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide