Process for making anatase titanium (IV) oxide

A single step process for making a nanoparticle suspension of titanium (IV) oxide particles using a high water to titanium molar ratio, comprising the following steps:

• 1) mixing with a vigor equivalent to a shear rate of greater than 100 s−1 (a) and (b) wherein
• (a) is a volume of a first component comprising an alcohol in an amount of more than 50% based on the weight of the first component, a titanium alkoxide in an amount ranging from 0.001 wt. % to 6 wt. % based on the weight of the first component, and a titanium alkoxide activator in an amount ranging from 0.2 wt. % to 1.6 wt. % based on the weight of the first component, the titanium alkoxide activator being selected from the group consisting of water and a first aqueous base selected from the group consisting of ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, sodium citrate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate and mixtures thereof, and
• (b) is a volume of a second component selected from the group consisting of water and a second aqueous base selected from the group consisting of ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, sodium citrate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate and mixtures thereof,
• at least one of the first component or the second component having a base therein,
• 2) rapidly forming a mixture comprising a suspension of finely divided titanium (IV) oxide nanoparticles having a volume-weighted median particle size measured via dynamic light scattering below approximately 100 nm, the mixture having a water to titanium molar ratio ranging from about 40 to about 1 to about 5000 to about 1;
• and
• 3) heating the suspension of finely divided titanium (IV) oxide nanoparticles to form anatase titanium oxide nanoparticles.