Synthesis, characterization, and phase stability of ultrafine TiO2 nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation in liquid media

We synthesized ultrafine TiO2 nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation of a titanium target immersed in an aqueous solution of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or deionized water. The surfactant concentration dependence of TiO2 nanocrystal formation was systematically investigated by various characterization techniques. The maximum amount of ultrafine anatase nanocrystalline particles (with mean size of 3 nm in diameter) was obtained in an aqueous solution of 0.01 M SDS. A probable formation process was proposed based on the laser-induced reactive quenching and surfactant-mediated growth. The phase transformation and particle growth of as-prepared products were also investigated by heat treatment up to 500 °C. Single-phase anatase nanoparticles with a mean size of 8 nm were obtained by heat treatment of samples prepared in water or in a 0.01 M SDS solution. Particle size did not substantially increase through annealing, probably due to the relatively homogeneous size distribution and crystallinity of as-prepared titania nanoparticles.