From titanates to TiO2 nanostructures: Controllable synthesis, growth mechanism, and applications

The design and fabrication of nanostructures based on titanium dioxide (TiO2) have attracted much attention because of their low cost, non-toxicity, stability, and potential applications in industry and technology. Recently, one-dimensional (1D) structured titanates have been used as titanium source to prepare TiO2 nanostructures with various crystalline phases, shapes, sizes, exposed facets, and hierarchical structures. Among the synthetic strategies, hydrothermal method is a facile route to controllable preparation of well-crystalline TiO2 in one step. Herein, we review our recent progress in transferring 1D titanates into TiO2 nanostructures through hydrothermal method, including the transformation mechanism and applications.