Centrifuge and storage precipitation of TiO2 nanoparticles by the sol-gel method

Two precipitation conditions; centrifuge and storage precipitation were used to prepare the TiO2 nanoparticles by the solegel method. The TiO2 nanoparticles for both conditions were synthesized without the presence of any catalyst. The centrifuge condition yielded a pure anatase phase for calcination temperatures ranging from 400 degrees C to 700 degrees C. Transformation from anatase to rutile at calcination temperature of 600 degrees C for storage condition was confirmed by the structural characterization. The morphologies of the centrifuged TiO2 nanoparticles were less agglomerated compared to the storage condition. Rietveld analysis showed an acceptable model for all the TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized through centrifuging, with the best agreement in goodness of fit of 1.00193 for sample calcined at 500 degrees C. Particle size of 16.64 nm and lattice fringe of 0.347 nm were measured for this sample with good correlation with the Rietveld analysis. The mechanism of the TiO2 formations was also proposed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.