Rapid room temperature crystallization of TiO2 nanotubes

The paper reports a very efficient and reproducible technique for room temperature crystallization of titanium dioxide in a record time of 5 minutes, by application of alternating voltage square pulses. The well aligned tubular formation of crystalline nanotubes is confirmed through various characterizations and the mechanism of crystallization is explained based on the pulse induced electrophilic-nucleophilic reaction. This ultrafast pulsed crystallization method provides a viable alternative for the widely used post fabrication thermal annealing and is highly applicable in device fabrication.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft