The formation of anatase TiO2 from TiO nanocrystals in sol–gel process

Abstract TiO 2 anatase has been routinely prepared by a sol–gel method. The purpose of this research is to study if TiO nanocrystals are present which can lead to the formation of anatase. Amorphous powders were first prepared and subsequent thermal annealing in air was used to form anatase. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the phase transitions. High-resolution TEM lattice-fringes images were used to identify the TiO nanocrystals. Results show that, similar to vacuum deposition and anodization of Ti reported previously, TiO nanocrystals are present before the formation of anatase.