## 1 Introduction  
Nanocrystalline TiO\({}_{2}\) has been receiving increasing attention in many applications such as optoelectronics [1], catalysis and photocatalysis (such as water splitting, air, and water purification) [2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8], solar energy conversion [9], gas sensing [10], and nanostructured coatings for biomedical implants due to its modified material properties and chemical reactivity at the nanoscale [11]. The literature on producing nanocrystalline titania is quite extensive, leading to TiO\({}_{2}\) nanoparticles (NPs) in various sizes, morphologies, and crystalline phases in different yield scales [7; 12]. Therefore, choosing an appropriate method to synthesize titania NPs consistent with the desired characteristics for the final application is of great importance. Among titania polymorphs that are commonly recognized, rutile is known to be thermodynamically the most stable phase for bulk material at standard pressure (1 bar) within the range 300-1000\({}^{\circ}\) K [13]. However, anatase and the less common brookite and titanium dioxide bronze phase (TiO\({}_{2}\)(B)), are also formed commonly at the nanoscale [14; 15]. Though brookite and TiO\({}_{2}\)(B) are rarely observed in nature, their importance in photocatalysis, photovoltaics, and lithium-ion insertion has been recently recognized [16]. The transformation sequence among anatase, brookite, and rutile is size-dependent and their transformation into each other can be reversed even by slight differences in the surface energies [8]. In the case of TiO\({}_{2}\)(B), it can be nucleated directly from the solution as a metastable phase and tends to transform into anatase titania at temperatures above 800\({}^{\circ}\) K [17]. We are interested in the unique intrinsic properties of crystalline titania NPs, such as high refractive indexes, wide bandgap, and strong UV absorption with no light absorption in the visible part of the spectrum. Additionally, we want to benefit from the shape and orientation-dependent collective properties of these inorganic NPs in liquid crystalline states for optical applications, as such nanorod (NR) liquid crystal phases can be switched at lower field strengths than molecular counterparts [18; 19]. Thus, we focused on titania NRs as colloidal anisotropic building blocks to not only benefit from their spontaneous liquid crystal (LC) formation but also to gain other advantages over spherical titania counterparts in terms of high surface-to-volume ratio, improved number of delocalized carriers, and enhanced charge transport provided by their anisotropic geometry for relevant research in optoelectronics and photocatalysis [20; 21]. To achieve crystalline titania NRs, solution-phase methods, and in particular non-hydrolytic sol-gel techniques, are well known to give precise control over particle size, shape, and polymorphic phases by employing structure-directing agents, i.e., ligand organic molecules. Furthermore, these ligand molecules offer general dispersibility in diverse organic solvents [22]. Therefore, preparation of concentrated dispersions of titania NRs is achievable, which is important for lyotropic liquid crystal formation [23; 24]. Many reports by different research groups such as [PERSON] et al. [25], [PERSON] et al. [26], [PERSON] et al. [27], [PERSON] et al. [28], [PERSON] et al. [29; 30], [PERSON] et al. [31], [PERSON] et al. [20; 32; 33], [PERSON] et al. [3; 5; 22], and [PERSON] et al. [34; 35] have been devoted to the optimizing and understanding of titania NRs synthesis via non-hydrolytic sol-gel methods. In all of those experiments, the TiO\({}_{2}\) NRs are formed via hydrolysis and condensation reactions. In these reactions, the oxygen for the oxide NPs formation is provided by the solvent (ethers, alcohols, ketones, or aldehydes) or by the organic constituent of the precursor (alkoxides or acetylacetonates) [30; 36].