First Approach to the Synthesis and Applications of TitaniaNanotube Primera Aproximación a la Síntesis y Aplicaciones de Nanotubos de Oxido de Titanio

Abstract

In the past few years, a wide range of functional applications of self-functional TiO2 nanotube layers have been explored, ranging from photocatalysis, solar energy conversion, electrochromic effects to the use of the material as a template or catalyst support for applications in the field of health, energy or environment. The present paper provides an overview of TiO2 nanotube layers with tubular structures, grown by controlled anodic oxidation (anodization) on a metallic substrate as titanium. Then, the authors summarize the works reported in the last five years which study the effect of the experimental conditions in the structural and morphological characteristics of TiO2 nanotube superficial layers, where experimental conditions and key properties of these tubular layers are pointed out. Despite the fact that the first works about the highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays were reported at the beginning of XXI century, this field has grown so rapidly as to make it difficult to summarize the scope of all related work. The authors classified the different works taking into account the composition of the electrolyte used in the anodization, the base material and studied properties that allow their future application in fields as health, energy or environment, mechanistic aspects of the tube growth and the electrochemical conditions to be fulfilled in order to synthesize these layers are also described.