Multipodal formation of Tio2 nanotubes using anodization

Abstract

The titanium dioxide nanotube arrays with large pore size and multipodal nature have many applications including solar cells applications, three terminal devices, drug delivery and other light harvesting applications. A simple method for the formation of multipodal conical structures by anodization of Ti foil was introduced. During anodization of Ti foil using the electrolytes such as ethylene glycol, glycerol and diethylene glycol with higher water concentrations (from 10 vol% onwards), conical nanotubes of wider pore diameter ∼200nm were observed. In order to study the branching of nanotubes in detail, nanotubes with different morphologies were grown in different electrolyte compositions and influence of viscosity and conductivity of electrolyte on multipodal nanotube formation were studied. The mechanism for the formation of bigger conical nanotubes, which contain 3 to 4 nanotubes inside it, was not addressed properly. A detailed study of the formation of these unique nanostructures was performed and proposes a growth mechanism for the same.