Simple fabrication of rutile titanium dioxide whiskers

Rutile TiO₂ whiskers with a length of 30 μm and a diameter of 1.5 μm were prepared via a facile sintering technique with H₂Ti₄O₉^.0.25H₂O as a precursor under strong acidic condition. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the whiskers have a uniform shape and a straight rod morphology with a square cross section. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy combined with a selected-area electron diffraction pattern showed that the TiO₂ whiskers are single crystalline rutile structures grown along the [002] direction and the circumferential faces have four equivalent (110) planes. Compared with rutile microparticles, rutile whiskers exhibit higher activity for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.