Hierarchical architecture of Bi12TiO20 via ethylene glycol-mediated synthesis route

Hierarchical architecture of cubic sillenite bismuth titanate (Bi12TiO20) is successfully synthesized using simple ethylene glycol-mediated self-assembly; followed by calcination under air at 600 degrees C for 30 min. The products are characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The reaction time has an effect on the product morphology, which changed from a leaf- and circular plate-like structure to a completely formed hierarchical structure within 2 h. The hierarchical structure of Bi12TiO20, having a size around 3 pm, is composed of 2D twist nanoplates, and each twist nanoplate has a thickness around 10-30 nm. (C) 2011 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.