Large-scale synthesis of TiO(sub 2) nanorods via nonhydrolytic sol-gel ester elimination reaction and their application to photocatalytic inactivation of E. coli

A simple method of synthesizing a large quantity of TiO(sub 2) nanorods was developed. A nonhydrolytic sol-gel reaction between titanium (IV) isopropoxide and oleic acid at 270 degree Celsius generated 3.4 nm (diameter) x 38 nm (length) sized TiO(sub 2) nanocrystals, which exhibited higher photocatayltic activity than a commercial P-25 photocatayst for the photocatalytic inactivation of E-coli.