Unusual enrichment and assembly of TiO2 nanocrystals at water/hydrophobic interfaces in a pure inorganic phase

Guolei Xiang; Yong Long; Jie He; Biao Xu; Haitao Liu; Xun Wang

doi:10.1021/la403736k

Unusual enrichment and assembly of TiO2 nanocrystals at water/hydrophobic interfaces in a pure inorganic phase

Langmuir. 2014 Jan 21;30(2):617-23. doi: 10.1021/la403736k. Epub 2014 Jan 9.

Authors

Guolei Xiang¹, Yong Long, Jie He, Biao Xu, Haitao Liu, Xun Wang

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.

PMID: 24383492
DOI: 10.1021/la403736k

Abstract

We report an unusual enrichment and assembly of TiO2 nanocrystals at water/hydrophobic interfaces through oxidative hydrolysis of TiCl3 in water. The assembly is a spontaneous process that involves on-water inorganic reaction and assembly in the absence of any organic phases. In this process, TiO2 nanoparticles are preferentially produced at water/hydrophobic interfaces. When the surface tension of the aqueous phase is above a critical value, ca. 25-35 mN m(-1), these TiO2 nanocrystals can spontaneously accumulate at water/air interfaces to produce macroscopic sized sheets and tubes.