Synthesis of Nanostructured Reduced Titanium Oxide: Crystal Structure Transformation Maintaining Nanomorphology

Reduction without particle growth: Ti2O3 nanoparticles of corundum structure were synthesized by reducing TiO2 nanoparticles of rutile structure with CaH2 powder at a low temperature of 350 °C. The morphology of the reduced oxide was the same as that of the precursor, though the crystal structure was transformed from the tetragonal to the hexagonal system (see picture).