Structure of nanosized materials by high-energy X-ray diffraction: study of titanate nanotubes

High-energy X-ray diffraction and atomic Pair Distribution Function analysis are employed to determine the atomic-scale structure of titanate nanotubes. It is found that the nanotube walls are built of layers of Ti–O6 octahedra simular to those observed in crystalline layered titanates. In the nanotubes, however, the layers are bent and not stacked in perfect registry as in the crystal.