Preparation of TiO2 Nanoparticles Using Microwave and Techniques of Pulsed Laser Ablation and Their Properties

This study presents an economical and swift approach for producing titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles through the integration of microwave irradiation and pulsed laser ablation techniques. Titanium isopropoxide (Ti [OCH(CH3)2]4) served as the precursor, whereas deionized water (DIW) functioned as both the solvent and reducing agent during the microwave synthesis procedure. The microwave-assisted synthesis entailed a 5-minute reaction at 1200 W in a commercial microwave, succeeded by annealing at 400°C for one hour. A Q-switched Nd: YAG laser, delivering 480 mJ per pulse, was employed for pulsed laser ablation in a liquid media, with pulse counts of 100, 200, and 300. Numerous analytical methods, such as X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and assessment of antibacterial activity, were used to assess the generated nanoparticles. XRD examination verified the existence of anatase TiO2 in the nanoparticles created via microwave. Morphological investigation revealed that microwave-synthesized particles exhibited a combination of spherical and irregular morphologies with a uniform distribution, with average diameters of 52.707 nm, 65.602 nm, and 82.095 nm. Pulsed laser ablation, by contrast, yielded primarily spherical nanoparticles measuring between 50.81 nm and 71.22 nm. FTIR examination revealed an absorption peak at 733 cm⁻¹, indicative of Ti–O stretching vibrations in microwave-synthesized nanoparticles, but the pulsed laser ablation samples displayed a distinct Ti–O–Ti stretching vibration peak at 657 cm⁻¹. The antibacterial efficacy of the produced TiO2 nanoparticles was evaluated against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, indicating their potential for antimicrobial applications. Keywords: Nanoparticles, Titanium is opropoxide (TTIP), Laser ablation, Nd: YAG laser, titanium dioxide, surface area.