FABRICATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF VARIABLE CRYSTALLINE TiO2 FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Nanocrystalline TiO2 powders with the different anatase/rutile ratios and the high surface area have been prepared using TiCl4 by the precipitation method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N-2-sorption, and UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectra techniques. The contents of anatase and rutile phases in TiO2 powders have been successfully controlled by simply changing the proportion of SO42- and Cl- ions in the aqueous solution. The photodegradation of congo red in water has been investigated over the wide range of TiO2 for different anatase/rutile ratios in visible region. The catalysts containing 19.7% rutile showed the highest photocatalytic activity in our study.