title: Tuning the solubility of TiO2 nanoparticles in apolar solvents by doping with Co2+.
abstract: Anatase Co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles capped by oleic acid with a wide range of dopant concentrations (0-23.27%) were synthesized. The surface chemistry of the doped nanoparticles was probed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses. An interesting effect of doping was discovered: doping with Co2+ at the nanocrystal surface significantly improves the solubility and dispersibility of the nanocrystals in apolar solvents, which can originate in the change in the self-assembled structure of the surface ligand from the weakly hydrophobic quasibilayer in undoped TiO2 nanorods to the strongly hydrophobic monolayer in Co-doped TiO2 nanocrystals.
authors.affiliation: National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China. dypan@nju.edu.cn
authors.forename: Dengyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Guoliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Zhongtao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Guanghou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang