Applications of Titanium Dioxide Materials

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a stable, non-toxic inorganic material. Because of very high refractive index, TiO2 has been widely used as a white pigment. The optimal particle sizes of TiO2 for pigment applications are around 250 nm. The pigmentary applications of TiO2 can be found in many common products such as paints, plastics, paper and ink. Global titanium dioxide pigment sales have reached several million tons annually. Titanium dioxide is also a semiconducting material. When excited by photons which have energy equal to or higher than the band gap of TiO2, electron/hole pairs can be generated. The dynamics of the photo-generated electron/hole pairs of TiO2 is fundamentally important to its photocatalytic properties. More recently, nano-structured TiO2 has raised a great deal of interests in research after the discoveries of the important potentials for applications. The enormous efforts have been put in the preparation, characterization, scientific understandings, and modifications of the photocatalytic properties of TiO2. The applications of nano-structured TiO2 can be now found in a wide range of areas including electronic materials, energy, environment, health & medicine, catalysts, etc. This chapter has discussed and highlighted the development of the applications of titanium dioxide materials in many of those areas.