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Photoactive TiO2 Nanopowder Synthesized at Low Temperature without a Catalyst
J.-P. Nikkanen1, E. Huttunen-Saarivirta1, T. Kanerva1, T. Kivelä2, E. Levänen1, T. Mäntylä1
1 Tampere University of Technology, Department of Materials Science, P. O. Box 589, FIN-33101 Tampere, Finland
2 University of Helsinki, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 55, FI00014 Helsinki, Finland
received February 14, 2011, received in revised form March 6, 2011, accepted March 14, 2011
Vol. 2, No. 2, Pages 97-102 DOI: 10.4416/JCST2011-00008
Abstract
Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2) anatase powder was synthesized at 50 °C under normal pressure using the sol-gel method without a base or acid catalyst. The structural and photocatalytic properties of the produced anatase powder were determined with X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption testing, and compared to those of anatase powder synthesized in a conventional process by calcining at 450 °C. The photocatalytic activity was confirmed with methylene blue (MB) discoloration tests.
The obtained results showed that the crystal size of anatase produced with the low-temperature catalyst-free method averaged 5.5 nm, while it was 12 nm for the anatase made by calcining. As a consequence, the specific surface area of the anatase powder synthesized at low temperature was three times higher than that of the calcined powder. The weight-based photocatalytic activity of the low-temperature-synthesized powder was 2.5 times higher than that of calcined powder. Therefore, the activity per unit of surface area was slightly higher for calcined anatase.
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Keywords
Sol-gel processes, titanium dioxide, anatase, grain growth, calcination
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