A Two-Step Hydrothermal Method for Preparing Titania Nanostructure with High Surface Area

Anatase titania with high surface area and distinctive morphology was prepared by a two- step hydrothermal method. In the first step, titanate nanotubes (TNTs) were produced from hydrothermal treatment of rutile titania in NaOH solution. Then the TNTs were hydrothermally treated in de-ionized water and transformed to rice-shaped anatase titania with specific surface area of ca. 80 m²/g. Based on microscopic analysis, the reaction-assisted phase transformation could be attributed to crystallization of the agglomerated amorphous TNTs in the presence of water molecule.