Synthesizing and Characterizing of TiO2 nanotubes
Firstly, the TiO2 nanotubes were fabricated using hydrothermal method. 4.0 g of TiO2 powder was added to 50.0 ml of 10M NaOH solution in a Teflon cup. Then, the mixture was placed in an acid digestion bomb to provide a high pressure environment for the inorganic TiO2 to dissolve in the NaOH solution. It was placed in an oven at 150 ⁰C for 2 days to synthesize the nanotube structure. After which, a small sample from the TiO2 nanotube stock solution was obtained and placed in the sputter coater, to be coated with gold particles. The morphology of the TiO2 sample was then identified and characterized using the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). The sample was also subjected to XRD (X-ray Diffraction) to identify the morphology of the TiO2.