Synthesis of titanium dioxide by ultrasound assisted sol–gel technique: Effect of amplitude (power density) variation

Titanium dioxide was successfully synthesized by utilizing sol–gel technique modified by incorporation of ultrasound as a reaction aid. The effect of amplitude of irradiation (power input varied from 19.9 to 80.8 W) on % Rutile, % yield, % crystallinity, crystallite size and morphological (scanning electron microscopy) properties of the obtained nano-TiO2 was studied. Calcination temperatures of all the samples were kept constant at 750 °C. With increasing ultrasonic irradiation amplitude it is observed that the values of % Rutile (after calcination) increased and reached a peak value after which further increase in amplitude resulted in a decrease in the % Rutile. A similar trend was observed in the case of % crystallinity and % yield of the reaction. On the basis of these results an optimum operating ultrasonic irradiation amplitude for the reaction has been suitably established.