Comparative study of stages of titanium minerals formation in nature and experiment for “smart” materials industry

Abstract

The economic importance of titanium oxides and hydroxides results in the active development of titanium deposits. Considering world trends in the development of titanium ores and taking into account their mineralogical features, a comparative study of stages of titanium minerals formation in nature (mineralogenesis) and their transformations in technological processing or synthesis (technogenesis) under hydrothermal conditions at the macrolevel (textural), micro-level (structural) and nanoscale (heterogeneity of individuals and microaggregates, including the synthesis of nanostructures) was made. The natural mechanism of mineral formation of titanium ores in the geological system (titanium ore – hydrothermal conditions) have been successfully used to simulate the synthesis of titanium nanotubes: a trigger for the redeposition of ore matter with the formation of new mineral phases and restructuring at the macro-, micro- and nanoscale is the energy of the geological system/its model, which is sufficient to create conditions for inhomogeneiting (destabilizing) the initial structure of titanium minerals due to external influences (P, T, pH). The relationship between the stages of mineral formation processes in nature and experiment as a promising strategy for the “smart” materials industry was discussed.