Abstract
Single-crystalline anatase TiO2 nanofibers with highly reactive {001} facets were synthesized from layered potassium titanate K2Ti2O5via topotactic transformation in ion-exchange and dehydration. The cuboid fibers showed one-dimensional (1-D) orientation in the [010] direction and {001} as well as {100} facets enclosing along the longitudinal dimension. The structural evolution was deduced from XRD, SEM and TEM characterizations, which revealed that the highly reactive {001} facets were derived from the interlayer splitting and exfoliation of the layered precursors in a surfactant-free way. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements witnessed the efficient separation and transfer of photoinduced charge carriers in the single-crystalline and reactive facets enclosed TiO2 nanofibers. Sequently, highly efficient photocatalytic property of the nanofibers was demonstrated by phenol degradation and H2 evolution. Phenol degradation rate of nanofibers is 2.7 times of the irregular-shaped nanoparticle counterparts with the same crystal phase and similar specific surface area. In photocatalytic evolution of H2, nanofibers presented much higher and more stable activity than both nanoparticle counterparts and P25 benchmark. Charge carrier highways provided by single-crystalline 1-D structures and efficient surface reactivity offered by exposed facets are the two key factors for the enhanced properties.
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