Synthesis of nano-titanium dioxide by sol-gel route

Nanosized titanium dioxide powder was synthesised via sol-gel route by hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide with ethanol and water mixture in high acidic medium. The synthesized nanopowder was further characterized by X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy in order to determine size, morphology and crystalline structure of the material. The synthesis of nano-TiO₂ powder in anatase phase was realized by XRD. The optical studies of nano-TiO₂ powder was carried out by UV-Vis spectroscopy and band gap was calculated as 3.5eV, The SEM results with EDAX confirmed that prepared nano-TiO₂ particles were in nanometer range with irregular morphology. The FTIR analysis showed that only desired functional groups were present in sample. These nano-TiO₂ particles have applications in solar cells, chemical sensors and paints, which are thrust areas these days.