Synthesis and investigations of rutile phase nanoparticles of TiO 2

TiO 2 nanoparticles have been synthesized at room temperature using a simple chemical precipitation route. Particles were further coated with polymer. Detailed structural analysis of the particles has been carried out. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirm that “as-synthesized” particles as well as annealed particles are nanoparticles having pure rutile phase. Thermal annealing at 1000 °C of 4.2 nm particles led to an increased size ∼20 nm in the same phase. The purity and composition of the particles were determined using energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively.