Controlled synthesis of platy potassium titanates from potassium magnesium titanate

The synthesis of the platy form of titanates is challenging owing to their high tendency to form fibrous structures. Here, we report the successful preparation of plate-like potassium titanate starting from layered titanate, K0.8Mg0.4Ti1.6O4, with a lepidocrocite-like structure. Plate-like K2Ti6O13 was first prepared from a solid-state reaction of K0.8Mg0.4Ti1.6O4, followed by an ion-exchange reaction and subsequent calcination. The products have a mean length of 0.3–0.8 μm and width 0.2–0.6 μm. It is anticipated that the experimental findings will provide insights into the synthesis process and technical applications of platy potassium titanates, and open up a new avenue for the synthesis of related materials with platy morphologies.