Dispersions of Various Titania Nanoparticles in Two Different Ionic Liquids

The dispersibility of different lab-made and commercial TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by gas-phase processes in room temperature ionic liquids was for the first time studied by dynamic light scattering and advanced rheology. The characterization of the nanopowders has been done with transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, nitrogen adsorption, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. The colloidal stabilities of the resulting dispersions were strongly influenced by particle characteristics such as aggregation level, mean particle size, and surface functionality. The period of the ultrasound treatment, the powder concentration in the dispersion, and the hydrophilicity of the ionic liquid were also important influences. It was found that most types of powders disperse better in the hydrophilic ionic liquid because of the hydroxyl groups and adsorbed water present on the powders surfaces. The best dispersions over a broader concentration range were obtained for a lab-made powder produced by chemical vapor synthesis (aerosol method) which had the smallest nonaggregated particles.