Synthesis of nanoparticulate anatase and rutile crystallites at low temperatures in the Pluronic F127 microemulsion system

Abstract

A low-temperature synthesis method for preparing nanosized TiO2 crystallites has been developed based on a Pluronic F127 microemulsion system. Both anatase and rutile polymorphs can be prepared, and there exists a temperature window between 40 and 50 degrees C where the formation of rutile is favored over anatase. At 60 degrees C and above, anatase is kinetically favored and only very slowly transforms to rutile at 60 degrees C. The results differ from previous observations regarding formation kinetics and temperature range for rutile formation as well as in the microscopic aggregation of the formed nanoparticles. This development of a low-temperature synthesis of crystalline titania nanoparticles within the Pluronic block copolymer system is an important and enabling step toward devising a direct synthesis route for the formation of ordered mesoporous and crystalline titania.