Analysis of Polymorphic Nanocrystals of TiO2 by X-Ray Rietveld Refinement and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy: Acetaldehyde Decomposition

Abstract EN

In this work, TiO2 nanocrystals were synthesized by the sol-gel method.

These materials were annealed at 200 and 500∘C; and characterized by the XRD-Rietveld refinement; and by BET and TEM.

As for the low-temperature-treated sample (200∘C), nanocrystals with small crystallite sizes (7 nm) and high abundance of anatase, coexisting with the brookite phase, were obtained.

Meanwhile, the sample annealed at 500∘C showed an increased crystallite size (22 nm) and an important polymorphic increment.

The sample annealed at 200∘C showed a high activity in the photocatalytic decomposition of acetaldehyde.