Carbon-TiO2 Nanostructures: Flame Synthesis and Characterization

The synthesis of pure titania and carbon-titania nano-powders in a premixed atmospheric fuel-rich flame was studied. The variation of the flame C/O ratio allows to produce both pure titania and carbon-TiO2 nanoparticles. Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy, Electrical Low Pressure Impactor and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used to characterize the synthesized nano-powders, in terms of crystallinity, phase content, size and morphology. Produced nano-powders with a dimension of 25-40 nm are composed by both rutile and anatase phases, with rutile being the predominant one. Reactive Oxygen Species analysis performed on the synthesized nano-powders showed that the inclusion of carbon in the nanopowders results in a reduced adverse health effect, in terms of ROS production.