Synthesis and photocatalytic activities of H2Ti6O13 nanofibers and anatase TiO2 nanofibers with high-density nanocavities

Single-crystalline H2Ti6O13 nanofibers have been prepared from Li2Ti6O13 nanobelts as precursor templates via hydrogen/lithium ion-exchange under hydrothermal condition. Then, H2Ti6O13 nanofibers are successfully converted into anatase TiO2 nanofibers with high-density nanocavities after calcination at 700 degrees C for 10 h in air. Both H2Ti6O13 and anatase TiO2 nanofibers are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. When evaluated for photocatalytic properties for the degradation of Rhodamine B under ultraviolet light irradiation, anatase TiO2 nanofibers exhibit higher photocatalytic behavior than H2Ti6O13 nanofibers. Furthermore, the photocatalytic efficiency of anatase TiO2 nanofibers with high density nanocavities is higher than that of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of 40 nm, which may be attributed to its one-dimensional morphology and high-density nanocavities. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.