Synthesis of TiO2 nanorings and nanorods on TCO substrate by potentiostatic anodization of titanium powder

Various TiO2 nanostructures, such as nanorings, nanorods were synthesized via potentiostatic anodization of titanium powder under different conditions. The morphology of the obtained TiO2 nanostructures can be easily tuned by varying applied voltage. The crystal structure, compositional information and morphological structures were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM). XRD and XPS analysis confirmed the anodization products were TiO2. A possible formation mechanism was suggested on the basis of the shape evolution of TiO2 nanostructures observed by FESEM. The results revealed that the applied voltage played an important role in the formation of various nanostructures. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)