Carbon Nanostructures Decorated with Titania: Morphological Control and Applications

Abstract

Nanostructured titania (TiO2) is the most widely applied semiconducting oxide for a variety of purposes, and it is found in many commercial products. The vast majority of uses rely on its photo-activity, which, upon light irradiation, results in excited states that can be used for diverse applications. These range from catalysis, especially for energy or environmental remediation, to medicine—in particular, to attain antimicrobial surfaces and coatings for titanium implants. Clearly, the properties of titania are enhanced when working at the nanoscale, thanks to the increasingly active surface area. Nanomorphology plays a key role in the determination of the materials’ final properties. In particular, the nucleation and growth of nanosized titania onto carbon nanostructures as a support is a hot topic of investigation, as the nanocarbons not only provide structural stability but also display the ability of electronic communication with the titania, leading to enhanced photoelectronic properties of the final materials. In this concise review, we present the latest progress pertinent to the use of nanocarbons as templates to tailor nanostructured titania, and we briefly review the most promising applications and future trends of this field.