No Arabic abstract
The dispersion of anatase phase TiO2 powder in aqueous suspensions was investigated by zeta-potential and agglomerate size analysis. The iso-electric point (IEP) of anatase was determined to be at pH 2.8 using monoprotic acids for pH adjustment. In comparison, it was found that the use of carboxylic acids, citric and oxalic, caused a decrease in zeta-potential through the adsorption of negatively charged groups to the particle surfaces. The use of these reagents was shown to enable effective anodic electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of TiO2 onto graphite substrates at low pH levels with a decreased level of bubble damage in comparison with anodic EPD from basic suspensions. The results obtained demonstrate that the IEP of TiO2 varies with the type of reagent used for pH adjustment. The low pH level of the IEP and the ability to decrease the zeta-potential through the use of carboxylic acids suggest that the anodic EPD of anatase is more readily facilitated than cathodic EPD.
The bio-inertness of titanium and its alloys attracts their use as bone implants. However a bioactive coating is usually necessary for improving the bone bonding of such implants. In this study, electrophoretic deposition(EPD) of hydroxyapatite (HA) powder on titanium plate was performed using butanol as solvent under direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) fields. The zeta potential of the suspensions was measured to understand their stability and the charge on the particles. Coating thickness was varied by adjusting the voltage and time of deposition. Surface morphology and cross section thickness were studied using scanning electron microscopy and image analysis software. Surface crack density was calculated from the micrographs. The results showed that the samples of similar thickness have higher grain density when coated using AC as compared to DC EPD. This facile but novel test proves the capability of AC-EPD to attain denser and uniform HA coatings from non-aqueous medium.
This study reports on the properties of nitrogen doped titanium dioxide $TiO_2$ thin films considering the application as transparent conducting oxide (TCO). Sets of thin films were prepared by sputtering a titanium target under oxygen atmosphere on a quartz substrate at 400 or 500{deg}C. Films were then doped at the same temperature by 150 eV nitrogen ions. The films were prepared in Anatase phase which was maintained after doping. Up to 30at% nitrogen concentration was obtained at the surface, as determined by in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Such high nitrogen concentration at the surface lead to nitrogen diffusion into the bulk which reached about 25 nm. Hall measurements indicate that average carrier density reached over $10^{19} cm^{-3}$ with mobility in the range of $0.1$ to $1 cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$. Resistivity about $3.10^{-1} Omega cm$ could be obtained with 85% light transmission at 550 nm. These results indicate that low energy implantation is an effective technique for $TiO_2$ doping that allows an accurate control of the doping process independently from the TiO2 preparation. Moreover, this doping route seems promising to attain high doping levels without significantly affecting the film structure. Such approach could be relevant for preparation of $N:TiO_2$ transparent conduction electrodes (TCE).
It is shown that in nanoporous titanium dioxide films, sensitivity to atmospheric hydrogen exposure and electroforming can coexist and are interdependent. The devices work as conventional hydrogen sensors below a threshold electric field while above it, the well-known electroforming is observed. Offering hydrogen in this regime accelerates the electroforming process, and in addition to the usual reversible increase of the conductance in response to the hydrogen gas, an irreversible conductance decrease is superimposed. The behavior is interpreted in terms of a phenomenological model where current carrying, oxygen-deficient filaments with hydrogen-dependent conductivities form inside the titanium dioxide matrix.
The wealth of properties of titanium dioxide relies on its various polymorphs and on their mixtures coupled with a sensitivity to crystallographic orientations. It is therefore pivotal to set out methods that allow surface structural identification. We demonstrate herein the ability of photoemission spectroscopy to provide Ti LMV (V = valence) Auger templates to quantitatively analyze TiO$_2$ polymorphs. The Ti LMV decay reflects Ti 4sp-O 2p hybridizations that are intrinsic properties of TiO$_2$ phases and orientations. Ti LMV templates collected on rutile (110), anatase (101), and (100) single crystals allow for the quantitative analysis of mixed nanosized powders, which bridges the gap between surfaces of reference and complex materials. As a test bed, the anatase/rutile P25 is studied both as received and during the anatase-to-rutile transformation upon annealing. The agreement with X-ray diffraction measurements proves the reliability of the Auger analysis and highlights its ability to detect surface orientations.
Despite great technological importance and many investigations, a material with measured hardness comparable to that of diamond or cubic boron nitride has yet to be identified. Combined theoretical and experimental investigations led to the discovery of a new polymorph of titanium dioxide with titanium nine-coordinated to oxygen in the cotunnite (PbCl2) structure. Hardness measurements on the cotunnite-structured TiO2 synthesized at pressures above 60 GPa and temperatures above 1000 K reveal that this material is the hardest oxide yet discovered. Furthermore, it is one of the least compressible (with a measured bulk modulus of 431 GPa) and hardest (with a microhardness of 38 GPa) polycrystalline materials studied thus far.