Pseudo-Cube Shaped Brookite (TiO2) Nanocrystals Synthesized by an Oleate-Modified Hydrothermal Growth Method

Single-phase nanoparticles of brookite, a less common polymorph of TiO2 than rutile and anatase, were successfully synthesized using a water-soluble titanium–glycolate complex as the precursor and nanoparticle growth by an oleate-modified hydrothermal growth method. The synthesized particles were approximately 30 nm in size, had high crystallinity, and were highly dispersible in water. The morphology of the synthesized particles was a pseudocube surrounded mainly with four {210} and two {001} faces, accompanying truncation with small {111} facets. It is considered that the preferential absorption of oleate molecules on {210} and {001} faces resulted in the pseudocubic crystal shape.