SYNTHESIS OF NANOCRYSTALLINE ANATASE TiO₂ BY SOL–GEL METHOD

Synthesis of uniform nanocrystalline anatase TiO 2 by sol–gel method was investigated using different thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. Thermal treatment of the precursor at 350°C for 2 h in air results in the formation of nanocrystalline anatase TiO 2 with the average crystal size of 21.5 nm. Quantitative analysis through energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) indicated that the atomic ratio of Ti:O ≈ 1:1 is close to the stoichiometric ratio of TiO 2 , leading to the evident fact that the prepared nanoparticles are indeed the TiO 2 material.