Synthesis and Characterization of Rutile and Anatase in Air- and Water-Stable Ionic Liquids with and without Isopropanol as a Cosolvent
Nanocrystalline TiO2 with pure rutile and pure anatase phases was prepared at moderate reaction temperatures by hydrolysis of TiCl4 in different air- and water-stable ionic liquids with the same anion ([Py1,4]Tf2N, [EMIM]Tf2N, and [P14,6,6,6]Tf2N), in isopropanol and in cosolvent of ionic liquid/isopropanol under different reaction conditions. The type of cation in the ionic liquid influences the morphology of the rutile phase: cone-like morphology was obtained in the case of [Py1,4]+ and [P14,6,6,6]+ ions and wormhole-like in the case of [EMIM]+. In the case of anatase, no significant effect was found. The influence of various reaction conditions like acidity of solution, solvent type, precursor type, and precursor concentration on the phase formation and morphology of titania were investigated.