Low Temperature Synthesis of N-TiO2 Particles by Hydrazine-Assisted Aerosol Pyrolysis of Titanium Tetraisopropoxide Nitric Solution

A single step, low temperature synthesis of N-TiO₂ particles by a hydrazine-assisted aerosol pyrolysis method was developed. Titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) nitric solution and hydrazine hydrate were used as precursors. The size, crystallinity, bandgap, and surface area/pore size of the particle properties were tailored by manipulating the precursor concentration, N₂H₄/Ti molar ratio, and temperature, which were characterized by means of SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and UV-VIS. The preliminary results showed that hydrazine played a key role in incorporating nitrogen into TiO₂ lattices and promoting crystal growth by supplying additional energy due to exothermic reactions of hydrazinated precursor with oxygen. A mechanistic explanation of the process will be described.