Size- and shape-dependent transformation of nanosized titanate into analogous anatase titania nanostructures

A size- and shape-dependent morphological transformation was demonstrated during the hydrothermal soft chemical transformation, in neutral solution, of titanate nanostructures into their anatase titania counterparts. Specifically, lepidocrocite hydrogen titanate nanotubes with diameters of approximately 10 nm were transformed into anatase nanoparticles with an average size of 12 nm. Lepidocrocite hydrogen titanate nanowires with relatively small diameters (average diameter range of < or = 200 nm) were converted into single-crystalline anatase nanowires with relatively smooth surfaces. Larger diameter (>200 nm) titanate wires were transformed into analogous anatase submicron wire motifs, resembling clusters of adjoining anatase nanocrystals with perfectly parallel, oriented fringes. Our results indicate that as-synthesized TiO2 nanostructures possessed higher photocatalytic activity than the commercial titania precursors from whence they were derived.