Low-temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Applications
Abdelhamid M Shahat, F.M. El-Hossary, Ahmed Ghitas, A. M. Abd El-Rahman, A. A. Ebnalwaled
Abstract
Abstract Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) were synthesized by a surfactant-templated hydrothermal method at low temperature (75 °C) for photocatalytic applications. Investigation of structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), FT-IR and UV – vis absorption spectroscopy. The structural analysis confirmed a polycrystalline tetragonal anatase TiO2 phase with nanocrystalline structure and almost regular spherical shape. It has been found that the synthesized TiO 2 NPs have an energy bandgap value between 4.42 and 4.46 eV; achieving a photodegradation efficiency of methyl orange dye of 81% to 88 % under UV visible light.