Abstract
Increasing environmental concern, related to pollution and clean energy demand, have urged the development of new smart solutions profiting from nanotechnology, including the renowned nanomaterial-assisted photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. In this framework, increasing efforts are devoted to the development of TiO2-based nanomaterials with improved photocatalytic activity. A plethora of synthesis routes to obtain high quality TiO2-based nanomaterials is currently available. Nonetheless, large-scale production and the application of nanosized TiO2 is still hampered by technological issues and the high cost related to the capability to obtain TiO2 nanoparticles with high reaction yield and adequate morphological and structural control. The present review aims at providing a selection of synthetic approaches suitable for large-scale production of mesoporous TiO2-based photocatalysts due to its unique features including high specific surface area, improved ultraviolet (UV) radiation absorption, high density of surface hydroxyl groups, and significant ability for further surface functionalization The overviewed synthetic strategies have been selected and classified according to the following criteria (i) high reaction yield, (ii) reliable synthesis scale-up and (iii) adequate control over morphological, structural and textural features. Potential environmental applications of such nanostructures including water remediation and air purification are also discussed.
Highlights
In recent years, one of the most important concerns of the scientific community and society has been health and environmental protection via a smart and sustainable use of natural resources
advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are convenient innovative alternatives to conventional wastewater treatment processes [6,7] because they include a set of water treatment strategies such as ultraviolet (UV), UV-H2 O2 and UV-O3, and semiconductor-based photocatalysis that aim at accomplishing the complete mineralization of organic pollutants
The present review aims at describing selected protocols, among the most interesting ones recently reported, for the synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 with advantageous properties in terms of size/shape distribution, crystallinity and textural characteristics
Summary
One of the most important concerns of the scientific community and society has been health and environmental protection via a smart and sustainable use of natural resources. AOPs are convenient innovative alternatives to conventional wastewater treatment processes [6,7] because they include a set of water treatment strategies such as ultraviolet (UV), UV-H2 O2 and UV-O3 , and semiconductor-based photocatalysis that aim at accomplishing the complete mineralization of organic pollutants (i.e., their conversion into safe by-products such as O2 , H2 O, N2 and mineral acids). Mesoporous TiO2 NPs are regarded as promising adsorbents for various pollutants in water [26], as they present a high concentration of hydroxyl groups (−OH) on the surface, that allows adsorption of water pollutants and improves OH radicals’ generation, resulting in being prone to further functionalization. An overview of the latest environmental applications of TiO2 for water remediation and air purification will be presented
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