Understanding Formation Mechanism of Titanate Nanowires through Hydrothermal Treatment of Various Ti-Containing Precursors in Basic Solutions

摘要

Titanate nanowires prepared by hydrothermal treatment of TiO_2 in NaOH solution have attracted intensive attentions,but the formation mechanism is still under debate.Herein,we report an in-depth study on the formation mechanism through investigating the hydrothermal behavior of various Ti-containing precursors in basic solutions,including Ti,TiN,TiO_2,Ti_2SnC and Ti_2AlN.Based on the results by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD),transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and Raman spectroscopy,it is demonstrated that the crystal structure of the hydrothermal products is irrespective to the structure of the precursors or the types of basic solution(NaOH or KOH) in use.Alkali ions play an important role in the formation of titanate nanowires.The formation mechanism of the resultant titanate nanowires was proposed to be dissolution-crystallization mechanism.