Effect of reactant concentration on the physicochemical properties of nanosized titania synthesized by microwave-assisted continuous flow method

Abstract

Nanosized Titania was prepared through a microwave assisted continuous flow method. Initially, the samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, BET, FTIR, UV–Visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Then the effect of titanium-n-butaoxide (TBO, Ti4+ precursor) concentration on the physicochemical of Titania was investigated. X-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the formation of phase pure anatase phase of TiO2 with particle size of 5.87 nm. TEM images showed a slight transformation in the particle size but no substantial alteration in the particle morphology was observed. The optical bandgap studies revealed a red shift for TiO2 in this work. PL spectroscopy indicated a decrease in the surface defects. The size of the particles showed an enhancement to 8.31 nm from 5.87 nm while surface area measurements revealed a reduction to 191.65 from 289.17 m2g−1 on increasing the TBO concentration from 37 to 150 mmol. We perceive that TiO2 synthesised in this study may be a potential source for sensing and have optoelectronic applications.