Preparation of oriented TiO2 nanobelts by microemulsion technique

Oriented TiO2 nanobelts have been successfully prepared by the microemulsion technique under controlled conditions. They consisted of oriented TiO2 nanowires and their growth is along [0 0 1] direction. Compared with bulk materials, phase transition temperature from brookite to anatase, and to rutile step-by-step decreased by 427 K. NaCl medium is greatly helpful in nanobelts recrystallization. Na+ ion affects the phase transition and nanobelts growth. The samples were investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).