title: TiO2-based nano-wells for fabricating nanocrystals.
abstract: This paper reports a convenient bottom-up method to fabricate robust and inert TiO2-based nanowells for growing nanocrystals. These TiO2-based nanowells are fabricated in three steps: fabricating a thin film of self-organized TiO2 nanotubes by the convenient electrochemical anodization method (Step 1), striping the fabricated nanotube thin film to expose the ordered array of nanowells underneath (Step 2), and surface modifying the exposed nanowells to adjust their surface hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity (Step 3). These fabricated nanowells can then be used to template the growth of an ordered array of nanocrystals by trapping a tiny droplet of precursor solution inside each nanowell. The diameter and surface hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the TiO2-based nanowells can be easily tailored by controlling the anodization parameters used in Step 1 and surface modifying parameters used in Step 3, respectively, thus enabling these TiO2-based nanowells a promising template substrate for growing a wide range of nanocrystals with adjustable sizes from aqueous and organic solvent systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Fengxia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jian-Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Chun Kuan
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Yang Yang
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Li