Templated synthesis of TiO sub(2) nanotube macrostructures and their photocatalytic properties

Controlled synthesis of hierarchically assembled titanium dioxide (TiO sub(2)) nanostructures is important for practical applications in environmental purification and solar energy conversion. We present here the fabrication of interconnected TiO sub(2) nanotubes as a macroscopic bulk material by us...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano research 2015-03, Vol.8 (3), p.900-906
Main Authors: Li, Hongbian, Zhou, Qiaoyu, Gao, Yuntian, Gui, Xuchun, Yang, Long, Du, Mingde, Shi, Enzheng, Shi, Jidong, Cao, Anyuan, Fang, Ying
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysts
Degradation
Infiltration
Macrostructure
Nanostructure
Photocatalysis
Sponges
Synthesis
Titanium dioxide
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Summary:Controlled synthesis of hierarchically assembled titanium dioxide (TiO sub(2)) nanostructures is important for practical applications in environmental purification and solar energy conversion. We present here the fabrication of interconnected TiO sub(2) nanotubes as a macroscopic bulk material by using a porous carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge as a template. The basic idea is to uniformly coat an amorphous titania layer onto the CNT surface by the infiltration of a TiO sub(2) precursor into the sponge followed by a subsequent hydrolysis process. After calcination, the CNTs are completely removed and the titania is simultaneously crystallized, which results in a porous macrostructure composed of interconnected anatase TiO sub(2) nanotubes. The TiO sub(2) nanotube macrostructures show comparable photocatalytic activities to commercial products (AEROXIDE TiO sub(2) P25) for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). Moreover, the TiO sub(2) nanotube macrostructures can be settled and separated from water within 12 h after photocatalysis, whereas P25 remains suspended in solution after weeks. Thus the TiO sub(2) nanotube macrostructures offer the advantage of easy catalyst separation and recycle and can be a promising candidate for wastewater treatment. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
ISSN:1998-0124
1998-0000
DOI:10.1007/s12274-014-0571-3