Sonochemical fabrication of morpho-genetic TiO2 with hierarchical structures for photocatalyst

Authors

Shenmin Zhu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Di Zhang, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityFollow
Z. Chen, University of WollongongFollow
Gang Zhou, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Haibo Jiang, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityFollow
Jinlong Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

RIS ID

29940

Publication Details

Zhu, S., Zhang, D., Chen, Z., Zhou, G., Jiang, H. & Li, J. (2009). Sonochemical fabrication of morpho-genetic TiO2 with hierarchical structures for photocatalyst. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 26 November (2009), 1-12.

Abstract

Titanium oxides (TiO₂) with hierarchical structures have been successfully replicated from biotemplate using a sonochemical method. The bio-templates, cedarwoods, were irradiated under ultrasonic waves in TiCl₄ solutions and then calcined at temperatures between 450 and 600 °C. The fine replications of the biotemplates in TiO₂ down to nanometer’s level were verified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic activities were assessed by measuring the percentage degradation of methylene blue using UV–vis spectroscopy. The calcination temperature has a strong effect on the structural replication and photocatalytic activity of the replicas. It appears that the calcination temperature of 450 °C results in the best structural replication with the highest surface area of 54.8 m² g⁻¹, and thus has the best photocatalytic properties. This method provides a simple, efficient, and versatile technique for fabricating TiO₂ with hierarchical structures, and it has the potential to be applied to other systems for producing functional hierarchical materials for chemical sensor and nanodevices.