Crystal Structure Determination of the S/TiO₂ System and the Correlation with Its Photocatalytic Properties.

Abstract

A sulfur doped anatase photocatalyst was synthesized through a microwave-assisted sol-gel method and posteriorly, it was characterized using X-ray diffraction by powders (XRD) and High Resolution Electron Microscopy (HREM). Morphology and average size of the crystallite were determined for the sample, preferential crystal orientation was also analyzed and all these structural features were related to the photocatalytic properties. Moreover, a pure TiO₂ sample was also obtained by the same synthesis method and it was used as a reference, and its structure and photocatalytic properties were compared to those observed for the sulfur doped anatase. The structural analysis showed similar results for both sample types but, photocatalytic properties are rather different. A small difference in chemical composition had an impact in the catalytic properties.