Sol–gel assisted ZnO nanorod array template to synthesize TiO₂nanotube arrays

Abstract

A TiO(2) nanotube array with a large surface area is fabricated on a glass substrate using a ZnO nanorod array and sol-gel process, and the structural characteristics of the TiO(2) nanotube array are investigated. The well-aligned ZnO nanorod array, which is deposited on ZnO seed layer coated glass substrates by the wet-chemical route, is used as a template to synthesize TiO(2)/ZnO composite nanostructures through the sol-gel process. Then, by selectively removing the ZnO template, a TiO(2) nanotube with contours of the ZnO nanorods is fabricated on the ZnO seed layer coated glass. The resultant TiO(2) nanotubes are 1.5 µm long and 100-120 nm in inner diameter, with a wall thickness of ∼10 nm. In addition, by adjusting the experimental parameters, such as the dip-coating cycle number or heating rate, porous TiO(2) thick films can also be obtained.