The role of brookite in mechanical activation of anatase-to-rutile transformation of nanocrystalline TiO2: An XRD and Raman spectroscopy investigation

The mechanism of phase transformation in nanocrystalline TiO2 powders at ambient temperature during high energy ball milling and the role of brookite phase in anatase-to-rutile phase transformation were investigated by the use of Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectroscopy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CrystEngComm 2011-01, Vol.13 (16), p.5055-5061
Main Authors: Rezaee, Masih, Mousavi Khoie, Seyyed Mohammad, Liu, Kun Hua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambient temperature
Anatase
Brookite
Nanocrystals
Phase transformations
Raman spectroscopy
Titanium dioxide
Transformations
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Summary:The mechanism of phase transformation in nanocrystalline TiO2 powders at ambient temperature during high energy ball milling and the role of brookite phase in anatase-to-rutile phase transformation were investigated by the use of Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectroscopy methods. The milling process was performed on a fully anatase phase nanocrystalline TiO2 powder via a high energy planetary ball mill with different ball-to-powder weight ratios followed by annealing of the as-milled samples. Some transformation from anatase-to-brookite was observed in all as-milled powders by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was proposed that brookite occurs at the {112} twin surfaces of anatase phase and therefore promotes anatase-to-rutile phase transformation. Based on the XRD and Raman results, it was proposed that brookite appears as an essential intermediate phase in mechanically induced anatase-to-rutile phase transformation which facilitates the phase transformation at ambient temperatures and also at higher temperatures during the post-annealing step.
ISSN:1466-8033
1466-8033
DOI:10.1039/c1ce05185g