Issue 9, 2014

Selective synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals with morphology control with the microwave-solvothermal method

Abstract

In this paper, a method to synthesize anatase TiO2 nanorods by hydrolysis of titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) in the presence of benzyl alcohol and acetic acid at 210 °C was tested. The novelty of the present approach relies on the evaluation of the shape-controlled synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanocrystals via a microwave-solvothermal method in 45 min. The different TiO2 nanocrystals were obtained by tuning the TTIP/acetic acid ratio under optimized synthetic conditions and were characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), micro Raman (together with microphotoluminescence) and FT-IR spectroscopies. The acetic acid coordinated on the nanocrystal surface was removed by the reduction of its carboxyl group via a “super-hydride reaction”, and the photocatalytic activity of bare TiO2 nanocrystals, under visible light irradiation, was also evaluated: the best performing TiO2 anatase nanocrystals exhibited a discrete photoactivity, completely degrading Rhodamine B solution in five hours.

Graphical abstract: Selective synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals with morphology control with the microwave-solvothermal method

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Jul 2013
Accepted
06 Dec 2013
First published
06 Dec 2013

CrystEngComm, 2014,16, 1817-1824

Selective synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals with morphology control with the microwave-solvothermal method

C. Carlucci, H. Xu, B. F. Scremin, C. Giannini, D. Altamura, E. Carlino, V. Videtta, F. Conciauro, G. Gigli and G. Ciccarella, CrystEngComm, 2014, 16, 1817 DOI: 10.1039/C3CE41477A

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