Crystal phase evolution of TiO2 nanoparticles with reaction time in acidic solutions studied via freeze-drying method

The crystal phase evolution of TiO2 nanoparticles, during hydrolysis and condensation of titanium tetraisopropoxide, was quenched at various reaction times by a freeze-drying method, followed by various characterizations. Three types of solutions with different acid input times were studied: (1) addition in infinite time (no addition), (2) addition at 24 h after the hydrolysis/condensation reaction started, and (3) addition from the beginning of the reaction. The acid-free solution yielded amorphous TiO2, which transformed to anatase very slowly. The acid input in 24 h resulted in a fast transformation of amorphous to a metastable anatase having a highly distorted atomic arrangement: thereby its transformation to a more stable phase, rutile, was suitable. The acid addition from the beginning of the reaction yielded the formation of a relatively stable anatase from the hydrolysis seed, thereby the subsequent transformation to rutile was sluggish.