Rational design of 3D dendritic TiO2 nanostructures with favorable architectures

Authors

Ziqi Sun, University of WollongongFollow
Jung Ho Kim, University of WollongongFollow
Yue Zhao, University of WollongongFollow
Fargol Hasani BijarboonehFollow
Victor MalgrasFollow
Youngmin Lee, Kongju National University, Republic of Korea
Yong-Mook Kang, Kongju National University
S. X. Dou, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

44499

Publication Details

Sun, Z., Kim, J. Ho., Zhao, Y., Bijarbooneh, F., Malgras, V., Lee, Y., Kang, Y. & Dou, S. Xue. (2011). Rational design of 3D dendritic TiO₂ nanostructures with favorable architectures. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 133 (48), 19314-19317.

Abstract

Controlling the morphology and size of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanostructures is crucial to obtain superior photocatalytic, photovoltaic, and electrochemical properties. However, the synthetic techniques for preparing such structures, especially those with complex configurations, still remain a challenge because of the rapid hydrolysis of Ti-containing polymer precursors in aqueous solution. Herein, we report a completely novel approach—three-dimensional (3D) TiO₂ nanostructures with favorable dendritic architectures—through a simple hydrothermal synthesis. The size of the 3D TiO₂ dendrites and the morphology of the constituent nano-units, in the form of nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanowires, are controlled by adjusting the precursor hydrolysis rate and the surfactant aggregation. These novel configurations of TiO₂ nanostructures possess higher surface area and superior electrochemical properties compared to nanoparticles with smooth surfaces. Our findings provide an effective solution for the synthesis of complex TiO₂ nano-architectures, which can pave the way to further improve the energy storage and energy conversion efficiency of TiO₂-based devices.