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Double role of polyethylene glycol in the microwaves-assisted non-hydrolytic synthesis of nanometric TiO2: oxygen source and stabilizing agent

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Abstract

The microwaves-assisted reaction between titanium(IV) tetrachloride and polyethylene glycol (PEG) represents a novel non-aqueous sol–gel route for synthesizing surface-stabilized titanium dioxide nanoparticles. X-ray powder diffraction measurements showed the exclusive presence of anatase phase. Transmission electron microscopy investigations revealed that the particles are nearly uniform in shape with sizes ranging from 4 to 8 nm and a low degree of agglomeration. The presence of covalently bonded PEG chains on the particles surface has been shown by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. This surface functionalization greatly enhances the dispersibility of the particles in water, as observed by dynamic light scattering and zeta-potential analyses. Furthermore, the investigation of the reaction by-products by a combination of FT-IR and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-Mass) techniques allowed a deeper insight into the reaction mechanism suggesting a double role of PEG as a stabilizing agent and an oxygen source.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Corrado Sciancalepore is acknowledged for the TEM technical support that was greatly appreciated. We also would like to thank Dr. Diego Pinetti for helpful discussions about the mass spectra analysis and Dr. Guido Ori for his help in creating the graphical abstract.

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Author notes

  1. Davide Morselli

    Present address: Smart Materials Platform, Nanophysics Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy

  2. Idalia Bilecka

    Present address: Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute/Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195, Berlin, Germany

  3. Federica Bondioli

    Present address: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 181/A, 43124, Parma, Italy

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari”, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Vignolese 905/A, 41125, Modena, Italy

    Davide Morselli & Federica Bondioli

  2. Laboratory for Multifunctional Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Markus Niederberger & Idalia Bilecka

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  1. Davide Morselli
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Correspondence to Davide Morselli.

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Morselli, D., Niederberger, M., Bilecka, I. et al. Double role of polyethylene glycol in the microwaves-assisted non-hydrolytic synthesis of nanometric TiO2: oxygen source and stabilizing agent. J Nanopart Res 16, 2645 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2645-2

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