TiO2 nanofibers supported on Ti sheets prepared by hydrothermal corrosion: effect of the microstructure on their photochemical and photoelectrochemical properties

TiO2 nanostructures were prepared by hydrothermal corrosion of Ti sheets for various heating temperatures and times. Their change from thick and short nanorods to thin and long nanowires by increasing these processing parameters led to improved photocatalytic properties.

Synthesis of magnesium hydroxide nanoneedles and short nanorods on polymer dispersant template

Magnesium hydroxide nanoneedles and nanorods were synthesized by reverse precipitation in the presence of polyethylene glycol (MW 1000) at ambient temperature. The obtained magnesium hydroxide crystals were characterized in terms of morphology, particle size, crystal structure, and thermal stability by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The experimental results show that the growth of magnesium hydroxide crystals and the dispersivity of the nanostructures were greatly influenced by polymer dispersant. The mechanism of the formation of magnesium hydroxide nanorods and nanoneedles was also proposed.

Microstructure observations of silicon carbide nanorods

The microstructures of β-SiC nanorods synthesized by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition were studied in detail by high-resolution electron microscopy. Two distinct types of nanorods were identified. The longer nanorods (lengths > 0.1 mm) contained globules at their tips and a relatively low density of stacking faults perpendicular to their [111] growth direction. It was also observed that SiC nanorods that grew along [100] direction contained no planar defects. Meanwhile, Ni was found to be an effective catalyst for SiC nanorod growth. The short nanorods (lengths < 50 nm), which contained no globules at their ends, can grow along [111], [100], or [112] direction. The growth of these nanorods was interpreted by a two-dimensional vapor–solid mechanism.