Anatase/rutile mass fraction determination in TiO2 nanoparticles using Rietveld refinement aiming applications in water purification

Abstract

Given the growing demand for sanitation solutions, various techniques of wastewater treatment have been proposed. Among them, we highlight the use of photocatalysts. Among all alternative materials proposed for using in the photocatalytic process, crystalline titania has been one of the most used because it can be easily sensitized by ultraviolet light. However, studies indicate that its efficiency is dependent on the mass fraction of anatase and rutile phases present in the titania composition. This paper aims at the use of the Rietveld refinement for quantifying the mass fraction present in titania nanoparticles obtained by the flame aerosol method. X-Ray diffraction patterns were obtained from synthesized samples and compared with the analysis of a commercial sample (Degussa P-25). We observed that the methodology of flame aerosol is effective for controlling the growth of anatase and rutile phases by just controlling the gas flow in the burner. Fraction of anatase / rutile with relative errors smaller than 10% was obtained by Rietveld refinement.

Keywords

• Photocatalysis
• Titanium dioxide
• X-Ray diffraction
• Rietweld refinement
• Water purification