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CrystEngComm

Design and understanding of solid-state and crystalline materials



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CrystEngComm, 2009, 11, 2313 - 2318, DOI: 10.1039/b909433d


Synthesis and characterization of well-aligned anatase TiO2 nanocrystals on fused silica via metal–organic vapor deposition

Chi-An Chen, Yi-Min Chen, Ying-Sheng Huang, Dah-Shyang Tsai, Kwong-Kau Tiong and Pei-Chen Liao


Well-aligned anatase (A)–TiO2 nanocrystals (NCs) were grown by cold-wall metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on fused silica using titanium-tetraisopropoxide (Ti(OC3H7)4) as the source reagent. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) micrographs showed the growth of vertically aligned NCs. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) pattern revealed the aligned A–TiO2 with a preferential orientation of (220). Raman spectrum confirmed the deposition of pure anatase phase TiO2 on fused silica. Luminescence of self-trapped excitons and oxygen vacancies were observed in anatase NCs. The indirect band gap of A–TiO2 was determined to be 3.14 ± 0.01 eV by analyzing the surface photovoltage spectrum. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses showed oxygen vs. titanium ratio of 2.0 ± 0.1 for the as-deposited TiO2 NCs. Further structural characterization of the well-aligned A–TiO2 NCs was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique. The formation of building units bonded along {112} facets with preferred (220) orientation of the well-aligned A–TiO2 NCs on fused silica were presented and the probable growth mechanisms were discussed.

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