High magnetic field annealing effect on visible photoluminescence enhancement of TiO2 nanotube arrays

TiO2 nanotube arrays with remarkable visible photoluminescence were prepared by high magnetic field annealing in air at 450 °C due to the involvement of oxygen vacancies (OVs). A field with the intensities of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 T were applied in the annealing processing, along the directions set at 0°, 50°, and 90° from the surface normal of the substrate. The results demonstrated that the density of oxygen vacancies in TiO2 nanotubes can be controlled by varying the intensity and direction of the magnetic field. The mechanism for the effect of the high magnetic field has been investigated. This study opens an effective way to control the oxygen vacancies in nanomaterials to improve their performance.

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