Titanium dioxide (TiO2) with highly controlled nano (polymorph) and macro (morphology) structures was synthesized from water by hydrothermal method using a series of unique water-soluble titanium complexes. Thanks to their high stability in water, a variety of organic molecules, which act as a shape-controlling agent, can coexist, resulting in the formation of anistropically grown rutile-type TiO2. The obtained rutile crystals exhibited greatly improved functions with respect to their dielectric or photocatalytic performance. The results suggest that the chemical design of metal-complex precursors leads to achievement of high functionalization of materials.
- Makoto Kobayashi
- Minoru Osada
- Masato Kakihana
