Morphological and phase evolution of TiO2 nanocrystals prepared from peroxotitanate complex aqueous solution: Influence of acetic acid

Nanosized anatase and rutile TiO2 having different shape, phase and size have been prepared from aqueous solutions of peroxo titanium complex starting from titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP), acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in water/isopropanol media by a facile sol–gel process. The TiO2 nanocrystals are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, TEM, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques. The influence of pH and the sequence of addition of reaction contents on the phase and morphology of TiO2 are studied. The reasons for the observation of only anatase and/or mixture of anatase and rutile are given.