Abstract
Highly crystalline mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanospheres with high surface area (higher than P25 and anatase TiO2) are prepared by a soft-template method. Despite the high specific surface area, these samples have three times lower equilibrium adsorption (<2%) than Degussa P25. The rate constant of the mesoporous anatase TiO2 (0.024 min−1) reported here is 364% higher than that of P25 (0.0066 min−1), for the same catalytic loading. The results of oxidation-extraction photometry using several reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers indicated that mesoporous anatase TiO2 generates more ROS than P25 under UV-light irradiation. This significant improvement in the photocatalytic performance of mesoporous spherical TiO2 arises from the following synergistic effects in the reported sample: (i) high surface area; (ii) improved crystallinity; (iii) narrow pore wall thicknesses (ensuring the rapid migration of photogenerated carriers to the surface of the material); and (iv) greater ROS generation under UV-light.
Highlights
The irradiation of a semiconductor with light of energy greater than its band gap (∆Eg) results in the formation of photogenerated holes and electrons, which are capable of oxidizing or reducing nearby species
We report a simple method by using a soft-template to make well-defined highly crystalline mesoporous spherical TiO2
The photocatalytic oxidation of methylene blue (MB) on mesoporous spherical TiO2 and P25 TiO2 were fitted using pseudo-first order kinetic rate equation
Summary
The irradiation of a semiconductor with light of energy greater than its band gap (∆Eg) results in the formation of photogenerated holes and electrons, which are capable of oxidizing or reducing (directly or indirectly) nearby species Such a scheme is frequently utilized for the transformation of pollutants (e.g., the oxidation of toxic organics, the reduction of metal ions) into less dangerous species (e.g., carbon dioxide, metal deposits). This process, called photocatalysis, is aided by the use of a semiconductor with an appropriate band gap, high specific surface area, optimum electron and hole transfer properties, and surface stability [1].
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