Low-Temperature Synthesis of Titanate Nanotubes in Aqueous KOH

Dmitry V. Bavykin; Barbara A. Cressey; Frank C. Walsh

doi:10.1071/CH06359

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Low-Temperature Synthesis of Titanate Nanotubes in Aqueous KOH

Dmitry V. Bavykin ^A ^C , Barbara A. Cressey ^B and Frank C. Walsh ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Electrochemical Engineering Group, School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.

^B Science and Engineering Electron Microscopy Centre, Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.

^C Corresponding author. Email: D.Bavykin@soton.ac.uk

Australian Journal of Chemistry 60(2) 95-98 https://doi.org/10.1071/CH06359
Submitted: 5 October 2006 Accepted: 29 November 2006 Published: 13 February 2007

Abstract

Although hydrothermal alkaline treatment of TiO₂ in a concentrated, aqueous solution of KOH usually results in the formation of solid fibrous titanates, analysis of the temperature dependence of Ti(iv) concentration in KOH solution and comparison of these data with that for NaOH solution suggests that, at low temperatures, the treatment of TiO₂ with KOH may result in formation of titanate nanotubes. This result was confirmed by 12 days treatment of TiO₂ in 10 mol dm^–3 KOH at 56°C, resulting in the formation of nanotubular titanates with similar morphology to those produced in a shorter time at higher temperatures using NaOH. The mechanism of nanotube formation and the necessary conditions of nanotube phase formation are considered.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr Alexei Lapkin (Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath) for helpful discussions and the Research Institute for Industry at the University of Southampton for financial support.

References

Low-Temperature Synthesis of Titanate Nanotubes in Aqueous KOH

Abstract

Acknowledgments

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