title: Rational design of 3D dendritic TiO2 nanostructures with favorable architectures.
abstract: Controlling the morphology and size of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanostructures is crucial to obtain superior photocatalytic, photovoltaic, and electrochemical properties. However, the synthetic techniques for preparing such structures, especially those with complex configurations, still remain a challenge because of the rapid hydrolysis of Ti-containing polymer precursors in aqueous solution. Herein, we report a completely novel approach-three-dimensional (3D) TiO(2) nanostructures with favorable dendritic architectures-through a simple hydrothermal synthesis. The size of the 3D TiO(2) dendrites and the morphology of the constituent nano-units, in the form of nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanowires, are controlled by adjusting the precursor hydrolysis rate and the surfactant aggregation. These novel configurations of TiO(2) nanostructures possess higher surface area and superior electrochemical properties compared to nanoparticles with smooth surfaces. Our findings provide an effective solution for the synthesis of complex TiO(2) nano-architectures, which can pave the way to further improve the energy storage and energy conversion efficiency of TiO(2)-based devices.
authors: Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, Innovation Campus, Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW 2500, Australia.
authors: Ziqi
authors: Z
authors: Sun
authors: Jung Ho
authors: JH
authors: Kim
authors: Yue
authors: Y
authors: Zhao
authors: Fargol
authors: F
authors: Bijarbooneh
authors: Victor
authors: V
authors: Malgras
authors: Youngmin
authors: Y
authors: Lee
authors: Yong-Mook
authors: YM
authors: Kang
authors: Shi Xue
authors: SX
authors: Dou