Properties of nanocrystalline TiO2 synthesized in premixed flames stabilized on a rotating surface

The properties of TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized using the flame stabilized on a rotating surface method (FSRS) are investigated. The method uses a laminar, premixed, stagnation flame, combining particle synthesis and film deposition in a single step. The current study examines the effects of flame properties on particle characteristics. Synthesized particles were characterized using X-ray diffractometry, Transmission Electron Microscopy and UV-vis spectrometry in order to quantify the effects of equivalence ratio and precursor loading on particle size, crystallinity and optical band-gap. Results show that flame stoichiometry significantly affects crystal phase, but it has little to no effect on particle size and light absorption band edge. In addition, precursor loading impacts both the particle size and the crystal phase. The study demonstrates the potential of the FSRS method for producing tailored nanoscale TiO2 particles for a variety of applications. (C) 2010 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.