Nanosized metal oxide and nanobelts prepared by selective dealloying of Ti-based amorphous powders

Two typical nanomaterials, nanosized metal oxides and nanobelts, are obtained in one-pot selective dealloying process by using multiple-component Ti-based amorphous powders as dealloying precursors. The microstructure and photoelectric conversion property of the as-synthesized Zr-doped nanobelts are comprehensively investigated. Particularly, a core-shell structure, for example, residual amorphous alloy as the microsized core and nanosized metal oxide composites (mainly TiO₂ and CuO) as the shell, forms as a byproduct of the selective dealloying. These resultant metal oxide composites show large specific surface area, and superior adsorption efficiency and capacity for removing toxic Cr⁶⁺ in aqueous solution. The differences in the standard electrode potentials between the multiple-component elements in amorphous powders trigger their selective dealloying in alkaline solutions.