Room-Temperature Synthesis of Single-Crystalline Anatase TiO2 Nanowires

Single-crystalline anatase TiO2 nanowires have been synthesized using a novel, room-temperature method involving the use of seed particles and a radio frequency magnetron sputter deposition technique. Also, the growth time required was less than 60 min. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption near-edge structure analyses show that the obtained nanowires are single-crystalline anatase TiO2. Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy spectrum shows that the nanowires band-to-band emission exhibits a blue shift from to 3.20 (387) to 3.46 eV (358 nm). Conventional vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-solid-solid growth modes are not applicable to explain the growth of the obtained single-crystalline anatase TiO2 nanowires at room-temperature. A folded-growth mode is therefore suggested.