Pre-edge features of Ti K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure for the local structure of sol-gel titanium oxides.

Titanium K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy is used to examine the local Ti environments in the sol, gel, and xerogels of titanium oxide prepared by a sol-gel method. The xerogels were prepared by heat treatment at 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 degrees C (denoted xero-200, xero-300, xero-400, xero-500, and xero-600), and the xerogels were doped with Fe(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) ions (xero-Fe, xero-Ni, and xero-Cu). The local structures of the samples are compared using the pre- and post-edge features of the XANES spectra. Further analysis of the pre-edge features using Gaussian functions provides the energy and height of each peak, and the intensity ratios between peaks. Based on the resulting data, the samples can be classified into three groups: a weak Ti-Ti interaction group, an anatase-like structure group, and an anatase group. The sol, gel, xerogel, and xero-Ni are in the weak Ti-Ti interaction group, and the xero-200, xero-Fe, and xero-Cu are in the anatase-like structure group. The remaining samples are in the anatase group.