Structural and thermal studies of titanium dioxide gel modified with anatase isostructural zircon silicate

Abstract

Important changes in anatase crystal structure are responsible for the consequent anatase-to-rutile phase transition in titanium dioxide powders. In order to investigate several structural rearrangements occurring in anatase phase obtained by hydrolysis-based method such as Sol-Gel method the X-ray diffraction techniques followed by Rietveld method seems to better approach. Several alterations in anatase lattice parameters can occur by doping insertion and the investigation of isostructural zircon silicate can provide interesting ones. In the present paper, the monitoring of anatase structure reordering and the consequent anatase-to-rutile phase transition along the thermal treatment up to higher temperatures were monitored carrying out DSC and XRD characterizations. The insertion of 6 mol% of zircon silicate leads to the fully anatase stabilization up to 900 °C due the control of ordering process, even that a continuous increasing in anatase tetragonality is present during the entire process. We can conclude the reconstructive anatase-to-rutile phase transition is delayed to very higher temperatures can consequence of more stable cross-linked metal oxide bond in anatase phase.