The synthesis of TiO2 nanosheets and their outperformance in the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

Tóm tắt

TiO₂ nanocrystals have been deployed as photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater due to their high chemical resistance and environmental friendliness. Because the reaction takes place on the catalyst surface, the crystal phase and the morphology of TiO₂ nanocrystals are important factors governing the catalytic activity. Herein, we prepared TiO₂ nanosheets by hydrothermal treatment of titanium (IV) butoxide in the presence of hydrofluoric acid. The crystallinity and the morphology of TiO₂ nanosheets were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanosheets was compared with that of commercially available TiO₂ nanoparticles (Degussa P25) using the degradation reaction of methylene blue (MB) in water under ultraviolet light at 365 nm. The X-ray diffraction and SEM characterizations indicated that anatase TiO₂ nanosheets with enriched {001} facets were successfully obtained. The MB degradation assay revealed that the decolorization of MB on TiO₂ nanosheets was 1.85 times faster than that on the TiO₂ nanoparticles counterpart. The synthesis and excellent photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanosheets demonstrated in this paper may promote the development of catalysts for removing organic pollutants in wastewater.