Rutile (TiO2) is a high refractive index optical material. It is useful for the production of polarization cubes, prisms, and optical isolators due to its great birefringence, wide transmission range, and superior mechanical qualities. Alfa Chemistry can produce optical components utilizing rutile material in practically any shape and dimension as requested by the customer. Please get in touch with us if you require assistance.
Advantages and Uses of Rutile Materials
Rutile has extremely high birefringence, a large dispersion, and one of the greatest refractive indices of any known crystals at the actual wavelengths. These characteristics allow for the production of certain optical components, particularly polarized optical components, for infrared and infrared wavelengths greater than or equal to 4.5.
Rutile is highly sought after not only as a birefringent material for optics but also as a substrate for epitaxial growth. Rutile has been the focus of important research in recent decades for its usage as a practical oxide for photocatalytic and attenuating attraction applications. It can also be utilized as a huge porous semiconductor.
Fig 1. (a) UV-vis transmittance spectra, (b) UV-vis absorbance spectra of ATW and RTW samples and (c) photocatalytic reaction behaviors of anatase and rutile TiO2 under UV irradiation. (Sun Q.F, et al. 2012)
Properties of Rutile Materials
| Density | 4.26 g/cc |
| Molecular Weight | 79.9 |
| Solubility | Insoluble in water |
| Class/Structure | Tetragonal, P4/mmm |
| Melting Point | 1840 ℃ |
| Hardness | Knoop 879 with 500g indenter |
| Refractive Index | No 2.555 at 0.69 μm |
| Transmission Range | 0.43 ~ 5.0 μm |
| Reflection Loss | 30% at 2μm |
| Apparent Elastic Limit | 4.8 MPa (700 psi) |
| Thermal Expansion | 9.2 (para) 7.1 (perp) x 10-6/℃ |
| Thermal Conductivity | 12.5 (para) 8.7 (perp) W m-1 K-1 |
| Dielectric Constant | 160 at 1 MHz |
| Specific Heat Capacity | 711 J kg-1 K-1 |
| Poisson Ratio | 0.28 |
| Elastic Coefficients | C11=269; C12=177; C13=146; C33=480; C44=124 |
About refractive index parameters.
"No" means ordinary light, "Ne" means extraordinary light.
| µm | No | Ne | µm | No | Ne | µm | No | Ne |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.436 | 2.853 | 3.216 | 0.492 | 2.725 | 3.051 | 0.496 | 2.718 | 3.042 |
| 0.546 | 2.652 | 2.958 | 0.577 | 2.623 | 2.921 | 0.579 | 2.621 | 2.919 |
| 0.589 | 2.616 | 2.903 | 0.691 | 2.555 | 2.836 | 0.708 | 2.548 | 2.826 |
| 1.01 | 2.484 | 2.747 | 1.53 | 2.454 | 2.71 | 2.42 | 2.4 | 2.59 |
| 3.38 | 2.41 | 2.58 | 3.79 | 2.39 | 2.57 | 4.28 | 2.34 | 2.51 |
| 4.89 | 2.32 | 2.49 | 5.73 | 2.24 | 2.43 |
Reference
- Sun Q.F, et al. (2012). "Hydrothermal Fabrication of Rutile TiO2 Submicrospheres on Wood Surface: An Efficient Method to Prepare UV-protective Wood." Materials Chemistry and Physics. 133(1): 253-258.