Condensation and decomposition of NiO-dissolved rutile nanospheres

TiO2 rutile nanospheres with an enhanced solid solution of NiO were synthesized via a very energetic pulsed laser ablation on a clamped Ni/Ti target in oxygen for a very rapid heating/cooling and hence pressure effect. Upon electron irradiation, the NiO-dissolved rutile (r) was partially transformed into 2(011) commensurate superstructure and Ni2(1+x)Ti1-xO4 spinel(s) following the crystallographic relationship [111](r)//[012](s); (101)(r)// (200)(s). Alternatively, random NiTiO3 nanodomains were formed from amorphous regions in such a rapid decomposition process.