Abstract
A one-step method is introduced for synthesizing rutile TiO2 nanorods (TNRs) directly from Ti metal. TNRs are generated by hydrothermally processing a Ti metal disc in H2SO4/CuSO4 solutions at 150 °C. In a 112-day long experiment, different ledgewise growth mechanisms are observed in the early (7-day) and the late (112-day) stages of TNR formation. A unique phenomenon is observed in that the length of the TNRs is a function of processing time and the H2SO4/CuSO4 concentration, whereas the diameter of the TNRs is almost unaffected. It is found that the diameter of these nanorods can only be affected by variation of temperature. A mechanism involving the critical dimension of the (101) growth front is proposed in this paper. In addition, methyl orange degradation efficiency of 90% was achieved when the fabricated TNRs were used as immobilized photocatalysts.
Original language | British English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1583-1590 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Crystal Growth and Design |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2 Mar 2016 |