Characterization of flower-like titanate and titania nanowires on titanium plate substrate

Abstract

Flower-like structure titanate and titania on titanium plate substrate composed of nanowires were synthesized by hydrothermal method at 150 oC for 2 h using titanium plate substrate as the starting material. The crystalline structure, shape and size of the prepared sample were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM images showed flower-like structure with uniform size about 2 ?m. The flower-like structure composed of nanowires with diameter about 20-50 nm. Titanate and titania could be controlled by washing process and calcination temperature. This synthesis method provides a simple route to fabricate nanostructured titanate and titania on titanium plate substrate for dye-sensitized solar cell and photocatalytic activity applications. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.