Template-Free Preparation and Photocatalytic and Photoluminescent Properties of Brookite TiO2 Hollow Spheres

Abstract EN

The preparation of high-purity brookite TiO2 with a unique morphology is rare and difficult.

Herein, high-purity brookite TiO2 hollow spheres were hydrothermally synthesized by employing titanium sulfate as the titanium source and chloroacetic acid and sodium hydroxide as the pH regulator.

The structure, morphology, and optical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS).

The results showed that the as-prepared brookite TiO2 exhibited a hollow-sphere morphology with a size of about 1.0 micrometer and showed a direct band gap of 3.13 eV.

Additionally, thermal analysis in combination with infrared spectroscopy showed that the as-prepared brookite TiO2 was surface capped by water and organic molecules.

Finally, the photocatalytic and photoluminescent properties of brookite TiO2 were studied.