Highly porous TiO2 nanotibres with a fractal structure

TiO(2) nanofibres were prepared using a templating method with tetraisopropylorthotitanate (TiPT) as a precursor. The preparation comprises liquid phase deposition on cellulose fibres followed by thermal removal of the cellulose template. The obtained TiO(2) fibrous substance consists of micron-size fibres with a microstructure of nanofibres. It was demonstrated that nanofibres are basically formed through the aggregation of TiO(2) nanoparticles and nanorods into chain structures during the thermal treatment process. The measured surface area of the TiO(2) fibres was about 250 m(2) g(-1). It was shown that the pore size distribution is multi-scale and a fractal morphology was demonstrated with two fractal regimes with dimensions of 1.78 and 2.97 for sizes below and above 7.5 nm, respectively. The crystalline phase of the TiO(2) nanofibres, as well as the nanoparticles in the solution, could be controlled by the pH of the solution. A pH of 1.2 resulted in rutile phase, while a pH of 1.8 resulted in anatase phase.