Crystallographic shear of polymorphic TiO₂ nanocondensates with enhanced Cr₂O₃ dissolution via pulsed laser ablation

TiO₂ nanoparticles with enhanced solid solution of Cr up to 16 wt% in polymorphs of rutile, anatase, brookite, α-PbO₂-type, and occasionally baddeleyite-type were synthesized via pulse laser ablation on ceramic TiO₂ target dissolved with Cr₂O₃ or clamped Cr/Ti plates in air. Analytical electron microscopic observations indicated these nanocondensates have prevalent crystallographic shear (CS) along specific planes to form superstructures. The rutile type typically shows (100) and (010) CS besides the conventional ones rotating about the [111] zone axis as reported for ambient samples. The CS planes are parallel to (001) for anatase, (001) and (\( \overline{1} \)10) for brookite, whereas (001) and {1\( \overline{3} \)1} for the α-PbO₂-type TiO₂ with varied extent of Cr dissolution. Surface modification, as a result of Cr dissolution and/or internal stress, was observed for all the polymorphs.