Condensation and Decomposition of NiO-Dissolved Rutile Nanospheres

Abstract

TiO 2 rutile nanospheres with an enhanced solid solution of NiO were synthesized via a very energetic pulsed laser ablation on a clamped Ni/Ti target in oxygen for a very rapid heating/cooling and hence pressure effect. Upon electron irradiation, the NiO-dissolved rutile (r) was partially transformed into 2(011̄) commensurate superstructure and Ni 2(1+ x ) Ti 1- x O 4 spinel(s) following the crystallographic relationship [111] r // [012] s; (101̄) r //(200) s . Alternatively, random NiTiO 3 nanodomains were formed from amorphous regions in such a rapid decomposition process.