On the selective growth of titania polymorphs in acidic aqueous medium

The influence of preparation conditions on the phase composition and morphology of titania was studied for the solids synthesized by hydrothermal treatment (HT) and peptizing of hydrous TiO2 sols in acidic medium. Mutual influence of peptizing and of additive anions (SO42−, Cl−) on the nature of obtained polymorphs was for the first time systematically studied and coherently explained. The solids were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that peptizing step preceding HT and the presence of anions play a crucial role for the selective formation of TiO2 anatase or rutile polymorphs. Low temperature peptizing leads to acicular rutile particles, whereas HT produces highly dispersed anatase. However if the HT was preceded by peptizing step, rutile was obtained in most cases. The influence of additives strongly depends on the moment of their introduction. Sulfate and chloride species can act as phase growth controllers, or as morphology modifiers. Sulfate hindered formation of rutile and favored anatase al low temperatures, but for already formed rutile seed, sulfate acted only as a shape controller. By contrast, chloride showed a strong tendency to promote rutile growth, whatever the conditions. A qualitative model was proposed explaining the effects observed, supported by ground state DFT and semi-empirical calculations of the aqueous Ti species.