Fluoride-assisted synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with tunable shape and band gap via a solvothermal approach

A simple solvothermal approach employing oleic acid has been developed to prepare anatase TiO₂ nanocrystals with different shapes, which were tuned from nanorods to nano-ellipsoids by increasing the amount of NaF from 0 to 0.5 mmol, and the optical band gap decreased from 3.47 eV to 3.29 eV accordingly. However, when the fluoride was changed to NH₄F, the resultant TiO₂ nanocrystals possessed an anatase phase but weremade up of smaller-sized nanocrystals and nanorods, and the band gap was increased to 3.53 eV. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results illustrated an increase of fluorine content with an increasing amount of NaF could account for the variation of the shape and optical band gap of TiO₂ nanocrystals. Moreover, the absence of fluorine content brought about less change of shape and increase of optical band gap of the product synthesized in the presence of NH₄F. This result may offer another way to alter the shape and band gap of metal oxide nanocrystals with the assistance of fluoride.