Rutile titanium dioxide nanoparticles and ordered acicular aggregates of same

1. A method for preparing rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles which are aggregates of elongated TiO 2 crystallites comprising:

(a) forming an aqueous solution of a soluble titanium compound at a titanium concentration of from 0.5 to 1.0 moles per liter, optionally in the presence of a mineral acid;

(b) introducing a morphology controlling agent or a mixture of said morphology controlling agents selected from (i) an α-hydroxy carboxylic acid of the formula R—CH(OH)COOH, (ii) an α-hydroxy carboxamide of the formula R—CH(OH)CONH 2 or (iii) an α-amino acid of the formula R—CH(NH 2 )COOH, wherein said R group in each formula is an alkane, alkene, alkyne, arene, or cycloalkane group having 6 or more carbon atoms, into the solution at an acid- or carboxamide-to-titanium molar ratio of from 0.02 to 0.2 while simultaneously heating the solution to a temperature in the range of from 60° C. to 80° C. with constant stirring;

(d) introducing TiO 2 seeds into the stirred solution at a seed-to-TiO 2 molar ratio of from 0.0005 to 0.0015 and maintaining the stirred solution including said TiO 2 seeds at a temperature in the range of from 60° C. to 80° C. for a period of from one to 3 hours;

(e) elevating the temperature of the stirred solution from step (d) to a value of from 100° C. to the refluxing temperature of the aqueous solution and maintaining said temperature for a period of from 2 hours to 4 hours to form a reaction product;

(f) cooling the reaction mixture which results from step (e) to room temperature or ambient temperature;

(g) optionally neutralizing the reaction mixture pH; and

(h) separating and drying the reaction product.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said elongated TiO 2 crystallites have a thickness of from 3 nm to 5 nm and a length of from 20 nm to 50 nm.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles are aggregates wherein one set of ends of said elongated TiO 2 crystallites of each aggregate are joined in a cluster and the opposite ends of said crystallites fan outwardly in the general shape of a funnel wherein said funnel has a diameter at its widest part of about 50 nm and a height in the range of from 50 nm to 100 nm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said morphology controlling agent is selected from mandelic acid (C 6 H 5 CH(OH)COOH); 4-hydroxymandelic acid (C 6 H 4 (OH)CH(OH)COOH); benzilic acid ((C 6 H 5 ) 2 C(OH)COOH); 2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid (C 6 H 5 CH 2 CH 2 CH(OH)COOH); 2-hydroxy-2-phenylpropionic acid ((C 6 H 5 )(CH 3 )C(OH)COOH); 2-hydroxyoctanoic acid (CH 3 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH(OH)COOH); mandelamide (C 6 H 5 CH(OH)CONH 2 ); phenylalanine (C 6 H 5 CH 2 CH(NH 2 )COOH); tyrosine (C 6 H 4 (OH)CH 2 CH(NH 2 )COOH); ammonium (NH 4 +), sodium (Na+) or potassium (K+) salts of said morphology controlling agents; and mixtures of said morphology controlling agents.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said soluble titanium compound is selected from titanium oxychloride (TiOCl 2 ), titanium oxybromide (TiOBr 2 ), titanium oxyiodide (TiOl 2 ), titanium oxynitrate (TiO(NO 3 ) 2 ), titanium trichloride (TiCl 3 ), titanium tribromide(TiBr 3 ), titanium oxalate (Ti 2 (C 2 O 4 ) 3 ), potassium hexafluorotitanate(K 2 TiF 6 ), ammonium hexafluorotitanate ((NH 4 ) 2 TiF 6 ), potassium titanyloxolate (K 2 TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ), ammonium titanyloxolate ((NH 4 ) 2 TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ), titanium bis(ammonium lactate) dihydroxide ([CH 3 CH(O)COONH 4 ] 2 Ti(OH) 2 ) and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said soluble titanium compound is selected from titanium oxychloride (TiOCl 2 ), titanium oxybromide (TiOBr 2 ), titanium oxyiodide (TiOl 2 ), titanium oxynitrate (TiO(NO 3 ) 2 ), titanium trichloride (TiCl 3 ), titanium tribromide(TiBr 3 ), titanium oxalate (Ti 2 (C 2 O 4 ) 3 ), potassium hexafluorotitanate(K 2 TiF 6 ), ammonium hexafluorotitanate ((NH 4 ) 2 TiF 6 ), potassium titanyloxolate (K 2 TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ), ammonium titanyloxolate ((NH 4 ) 2 TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ), titanium bis(ammonium lactate) dihydroxide ([CH 3 CH(O)COONH 4 ] 2 Ti(OH) 2 ) and mixtures thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said morphology controlling agent is mandelic acid (C 6 H 5 CH(OH)COOH), said soluble titanium compound is titanium oxychloride (TiOCl 2 ), and said TiO 2 seeds comprise a slurry containing 0.2 g TiO 2 in anatase phase.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said morphology controlling agent is phenylalanine (C 6 H 5 CH 2 CH(NH 2 )COOH), said soluble titanium compound is titanium oxychloride (TiOCl 2 ), and said TiO 2 seeds comprise a slurry containing 0.2 g TiO 2 in anatase phase.

9. Rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles which are ordered acicular aggregates of elongated TiO 2 crystallites having a thickness in the range of from 3 nm to 5 nm in which one end of each of said elongated TiO 2 crystallites are joined into a cluster such that the opposite ends of each of said elongated TiO 2 crystallites extend outwardly in the general shape of a nano-sized funnel structure having a diameter at its widest part of about 50 nm and a height in the range of from 50 nm to 100 nm.

10. The rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles of claim 9 which are produced by the process of:

(a) forming an aqueous solution of a soluble titanium compound at a titanium concentration of from 0.5 to 1.0 moles per liter;

(b) introducing a morphology controlling agent or a mixture of said morphology controlling agents selected from (i) an α-hydroxy carboxylic acid of the formula R—CH(OH)COOH, (ii) an α-hydroxy carboxamide of the formula R—CH(OH)CONH 2 or (iii) an α-amino acid of the formula R—CH(NH 2 )COOH, wherein said R group in each formula is an alkane, alkene, alkyne, arene, or cycloalkane group having 6 or more carbon atoms, into the solution at an acid- or carboxamide-to-titanium molar ratio of from 0.02 to 0.2 while simultaneously heating the solution to a temperature in the range of from 60° C. to 80° C. with constant stirring;

(d) introducing TiO 2 seeds into the stirred solution at a seed to TiO 2 molar ratio of from 0.0005 to 0.0015 while maintaining the solution including said TiO 2 seeds at a temperature in the range of from 60° C. to 80° C. for a period of from one to 3 hours;

(e) elevating the temperature of the stirred solution from step (d) to a value of from 100° C. to the refluxing temperature of the aqueous solution and maintaining said temperature for a period of from 2 hours to 4 hours to form a reaction product;

(f) cooling the reaction mixture which results from step (e) to room temperature or ambient temperature;

(g) optionally neutralizing the reaction mixture pH; and

(h) separating and drying the reaction product.

11. The rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles of claim 10 wherein:

(a) said morphology controlling agent is selected from mandelic acid (C 6 H 5 CH(OH)COOH); 4-hydroxymandelic acid (C 6 H 4 (OH)CH(OH)COOH); benzilic acid ((C 6 H 5 ) 2 C(OH)COOH); 2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid (C 6 H 5 CH 2 CH 2 CH(OH)COOH); 2-hydroxy-2-phenylpropionic acid ((C 6 H 5 )(CH 3 )C(OH)COOH); 2-hydroxyoctanoic acid (CH 3 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH(OH)COOH); mandelamide (C 6 H 5 CH(OH)CONH 2 ); phenylalanine (C 6 H 5 CH 2 CH(NH 2 )COOH); tyrosine (C 6 H 4 (OH)CH 2 CH(NH 2 )COOH); ammonium (NH 4 +), sodium (Na+) or potassium (K+) salts of said morphology controlling agents; and mixtures of said morphology controlling agents, and

(b) said soluble titanium compound is selected from titanium oxychloride (TiOCl 2 ), titanium oxybromide (TiOBr 2 ), titanium oxyiodide (TiOl 2 ), titanium oxynitrate (TiO(NO 3 ) 2 ), titanium trichloride (TiCl 3 ), titanium tribromide(TiBr 3 ), titanium oxalate (Ti 2 (C 2 O 4 ) 3 ), potassium hexafluorotitanate(K 2 TiF 6 ), ammonium hexafluorotitanate ((NH 4 ) 2 TiF 6 ), potassium titanyloxolate (K 2 TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ), ammonium titanyloxolate ((N H 4 ) 2 TiO(C 2 O 4 ) 2 ), titanium bis(ammonium lactate) dihydroxide ([CH 3 CH(O)COONH 4 ] 2 Ti(OH) 2 ) and mixtures thereof.

12. The rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles of claim 10 wherein:

(a) said morphology controlling agent is selected from phenylalanine (C 6 H 5 CH 2 CH(NH 2 )COOH) and mandelic acid (C 6 H 5 CH(OH)COOH) or a mixture thereof; and

(b) said soluble titanium compound is titanium oxychloride (TiOCl 2 ).