Nanocrystalline titania made from interactions of Ti with hydrogen peroxide solutions containing tantalum chloride

Crystalline titania film and powders with crystallite size in the range of nanometers are of great interest in the fields of optical devices, gas sensors, catalysts, and biomaterials. This paper reports a soft solution approach to prepare crystalline titania. After Ti was soaked in hydrogen peroxide solutions containing 3.0 mM tantalum chloride at 80 degreesC for 3 days, crystalline titania films consisting of anatase and rutile were deposited on Ti substrates. While Ti was soaked in tantalum-free hydrogen peroxide solution followed by aging in hydrogen peroxide solution containing tantalum ions, titania films with well-crystallized anatase were obtained. The crystalline titania resulted from crystallization of the previously deposited amorphous gel. Addition of tantalum ions in hydrogen peroxide solutions helps to obtain the crystalline titania and favors especially the formation of rutile phase.