Effects of Particle Size on the Structure and Photocatalytic Performance by Alkali-Treated TiO<sub>2</sub>
Danqi Li,
Hongchen Song,
Xia Meng,
Tingting Shen,
Jing Sun,
Wenjia Han,
Xikui Wang
Affiliations
Danqi Li
State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Hongchen Song
State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Xia Meng
State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Tingting Shen
State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Jing Sun
State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Wenjia Han
State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China
Xikui Wang
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, Jinan 251100, China
Particle size of nanomaterials has significant impact on their photocatalyst properties. In this paper, TiO2 nanoparticles with different crystalline sizes were prepared by adjusting the alkali-hydrothermal time (0−48 h). An annealing in N2 atmosphere after hydrothermal treatment caused TiO2 reduction and created defects, resulting in the visible light photocatalytic activity. The evolution of physicochemical properties along with the increase of hydrothermal time at a low alkali concentration has been revealed. Compared with other TiO2 samples, TiO2-24 showed higher photocatalytic activity toward degrading Rhodamine B and Sulfadiazine under visible light. The radical trapping and ESR experiments revealed that O2•- is the main reactive specie in TiO2-24. Large specific surface areas and rapid transfer of photogenerated electrons are responsible for enhancing photocatalytic activity. The above findings clearly demonstrate that particle size and surface oxygen defects can be regulated by alkali-hydrothermal method. This research will deepen the understanding of particle size on the nanomaterials performance and provide new ideas for designing efficient photocatalysts.
