Fabrication of Titania Nanotube Arrays by Anodization

Fabrication of titania nanotube arrays via anodic oxidation of titanium foil in fluoride based solutions was first reported in 2001 by Gong and co-workers [58]. Further studies focused on precise control and extension of the nanotube morphology [21], length and pore size [22], and wall thickness [3]. Electrolyte composition plays a critical role in determining the resultant nanotube array architecture and, potentially, its chemical composition. Electrolyte composition determines both the rate of nanotube array formation, as well as the rate at which the resultant oxide is dissolved. In most cases, a fluoride ion containing electrolyte is needed for nanotube array formation. In an effort to shift the band gap of the titania 

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Fabrication of Titania Nanotube Arrays by Anodization 283 Dimethyl Sulfoxide Electrolytes... 

Zhao J, Wang X, Kang Y et al (2008) Photoelectrochemical activities of W-doped titania nanotube arrays fabricated by anodization. IEEE Photon Technol Lett 20 1213-1215... 

Metal oxide nanotubes have been synthesized by a diverse variety of fabrication routes. For example titania nanotubes, and nanotube arrays, have been produced by deposition into a nanoporous alumina template [48-51], sol-gel transcription using organo-gelators as templates [52,53], seeded growth [54], hydrothermal processes [55-57] and anodic oxidation [58-65]. 

Usually the nanotube arrays have been made from a titanium thick film or foil, in which case the resulting nanotubes rest upon an underlying Ti substrate as separated by a barrier layer. The nanotube arrays have also been fabricated from a titanium thin film sputtered onto a variety of substrates, such as silicon and fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated conductive glass. This extends the possibility for preparing technical catalysts by deposing a thin Ti layer over a substrate (a foam, for example) and then inducing the formation of the nanostructured titania film by anodic oxidation. ... 

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