Microwave-assisted synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles: photocatalytic activity of powders and thin films

A simple, rapid, and effective synthesis methodology for the preparation of high-performance TiO2 nanoparticles and thin films by combining colloidal sol-gel and microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis was developed. The obtained results indicate that the heating with microwaves at 180 °C for 20 m...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Falk, Gilberto S., Borlaf, Mario, López-Muñoz, M. José, Fariñas, Juan C., Rodrigues Neto, J. B., Moreno, Rodrigo
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2018
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/411712
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/411712
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85041217755
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Microwave synthesis
Nanoparticles
Photocatalysis
Thin films
TiO2
Description
Summary:A simple, rapid, and effective synthesis methodology for the preparation of high-performance TiO2 nanoparticles and thin films by combining colloidal sol-gel and microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis was developed. The obtained results indicate that the heating with microwaves at 180 °C for 20 min was enough to synthesize crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles, presenting anatase as a major phase with a crystal size of ~ 7 nm and a specific surface area of 220 m2 g−1. A secondary thermal treatment improved the crystallinity and induced the anatase-to-rutile transformation. The highest photocatalytic activity was found for the as-synthesized powder without any additional thermal treatment. Thin films were also prepared by dip-coating and its high photocatalytic activity showed a kinetic curve comparable to that of a thin film of commercial TiO2 powder prepared under similar conditions.