Formation of nanotubes TiO2 from layered titanate particles by a soft chemical process

Nanotubes TiO2 were synthesized from layered titanate Na2Ti3O7 particles by a soft chemical process. These nanotubes have a hollow structure with an opening end. The wall of nanotubes is very well crystallized multi-wall structure. The inner diameters of nanotubes are ca. 30-40 nm and the length up to several hundreds nanometers. XRD results show that TiO2 phase was formed during the procedure of exfoliating Na2Ti3O7 particles into nanosheets. Based on our experimental results, an exfoliating-rolling model was proposed for formation of nanotube structure. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.