Nanostructure evolution of titanium dioxide layers from titanium thin films using hydrothermal treatment

Titanium dioxide has stimulated great research interest due to its unique optical and electric properties that are useful for photocatalysis [1], dye-sensitized solar cells [2] and various other devices [3]. The hydrothermal synthesis is one of the methods for the preparation of TiO
2
nanostructures. The size, morphology and crystal phase of nanoparticles are controlled by the pH and temperature of hydrothermal environment [4]. However, for the growth of nanostructured TiO
2
layer on a substrate, acidic or basic synthetic environments may damage the substrate. Therefore, a neutral synthetic environment is preferred.