Preparation and Characterization of (I2)n Sensitized Nanoporous TiO2 with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under Visible-Light Irradiation

A yellow/brown powder of (I2)n sensitized nanoporous TiO2 was obtained via an hydrolysis with TiCl4 and iodine hydrosol as raw material. I2 nanoparticles in the hydrosol were used as seeds to initiate the nucleation of a precursory TiO2 shell. The hybridized jumbles were further calcinated at diffe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Juzheng Zhang, Xin Liu, Shanmin Gao, Quanwen Liu, Baibiao Huang, Ying Dai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2012-01-01
Series:International Journal of Photoenergy
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/536194
Description
Summary:A yellow/brown powder of (I2)n sensitized nanoporous TiO2 was obtained via an hydrolysis with TiCl4 and iodine hydrosol as raw material. I2 nanoparticles in the hydrosol were used as seeds to initiate the nucleation of a precursory TiO2 shell. The hybridized jumbles were further calcinated at different temperatures. The structure, crystallinity, morphology, and other physical-chemical properties of the samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms measurements, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The formation mechanism of these (I2)n sensitized nanoporous TiO2 is discussed. Methylene blue solutions were used as model wastewater to evaluate the visible light photocatalytic activity of the samples. The results indicate that iodine can exist even in high-temperature calcination for iodine being encapsulated in the nanocavities inside TiO2. The degradation of methylene blue (MB) accorded with the first-order reaction model.
ISSN:1110-662X
1687-529X