Time-Resolved Studies of Hydrothermal Crystallisation of Titania Using Neutron Diffraction

We will test and use a new in situ chemical reaction cell to enable study of the solution crystallisation of functional inorganic materials using powder neutron diffraction. This will make use of recent significant improvements in neutron instrumentation to allow more rapid data acquisition than previously possible so that evolution of atomic-scale structure can be observed in real time. This will allow the formation mechanisms of solid-state materials to be better understood, which is a vital part of the push towards rational design of functional materials. The cell will be versatile enough to be used on multiple ISIS instruments to measure, for example, total scattering, inelastic scattering and, potentially, neutron imaging. Our first experiments will consider the crystallisation of the important photocatalyst, titanium dioxide, where control of its polymorphism is important.