Preparation of N-functionalized TiO₂ particles using one-step sol-gel method and their photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Nitrogen functionalized TiO2 (N-TiO2) particles having an excellent dispersibility were prepared by sol-gel method. Generally, N-TiO2 particles have been made at the harsh preparation conditions including either high temperature or high pressure with nitrogen sources. However, in this research, N-TiO2 particles were prepared through facile sol-gel reaction with titanium(IV) (triethanolaminato)isopropoxide (ITEAIP) precursor at mild conditions. The diameter of titania spheres could be tunable from 250 to 2200 nm by varying TTEAIP concentrations. Photocatalytic performances of N-TiO2 were examined through the degradation of methylene blue. N-TiO2 particles exhibited 3-10 times better performance of methylene blue photodegradation than that of commercial P25.