Category
Basic
Description
The purpose of this experiment was to characterize titanium-based rosettes and other micro-sized crystal formations on multiple different non-planar titanium surfaces. Rosettes are crystal structures in the titanium sulfate family. They are 20-150µm in diameter and vastly increase the surface area of the places where they are grown, which can lead to various possible applications in future research. The titanium type that was being experimented on was titanium gauze (50µm diameter). To grow titanium-based structures, two steps are involved: etching and crystal formation. Firstly, the titanium material was placed in a centrifuge tube filled with 1mL of 18M (96%) conc. sulfuric acid. The tube was then placed in a temperature-controlled water bath set to 60 ¿ for 40 minutes. The heat facilitates the etching of titanium, which removes the oxide layer. The samples were then washed in DI water until pH neutral. The samples were allowed to dry. To begin the second step, a few milliliters of 18M sulfuric acid were added to a beaker. A drawn-out glass pipette was dipped into the acid and tapped onto the samples. The acid on the samples reacted with the titanium surface and grew the crystals. The samples were viewed under a Gemini I scanning electron microscope (SEM). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was also performed. Rosette formations were observed on the titanium gauze. These structures were extremely similar, in terms of size and morphology, to those synthesized previously.
Formation of Rosette-like Hierarchical Structures on Cylindrical Titanium Surfaces.
Basic
The purpose of this experiment was to characterize titanium-based rosettes and other micro-sized crystal formations on multiple different non-planar titanium surfaces. Rosettes are crystal structures in the titanium sulfate family. They are 20-150µm in diameter and vastly increase the surface area of the places where they are grown, which can lead to various possible applications in future research. The titanium type that was being experimented on was titanium gauze (50µm diameter). To grow titanium-based structures, two steps are involved: etching and crystal formation. Firstly, the titanium material was placed in a centrifuge tube filled with 1mL of 18M (96%) conc. sulfuric acid. The tube was then placed in a temperature-controlled water bath set to 60 ¿ for 40 minutes. The heat facilitates the etching of titanium, which removes the oxide layer. The samples were then washed in DI water until pH neutral. The samples were allowed to dry. To begin the second step, a few milliliters of 18M sulfuric acid were added to a beaker. A drawn-out glass pipette was dipped into the acid and tapped onto the samples. The acid on the samples reacted with the titanium surface and grew the crystals. The samples were viewed under a Gemini I scanning electron microscope (SEM). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was also performed. Rosette formations were observed on the titanium gauze. These structures were extremely similar, in terms of size and morphology, to those synthesized previously.
