Synthesis and characterization of solar photoactive TiO2 nanoparticles with enhanced structural and optical properties

The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the sol-gel derived TiO2 nanoparticles at different pH and calcination temperature were investigated in the present study. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Visible(Vis) spectroscopy, energy dispersive studies (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, BET surface area analysis, and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore size distribution and pore volume analysis were used to characterize the prepared TiO2 photocatalyst. The range of crystallite size and band gap of the synthesized TiO2 samples were in the range of 20-80 nm and 2.5-3.2 eV respectively. The photocatalytic performance of prepared TiO2 photocatalysts was evaluated by photodegradation of Methylene Blue (MB) solution under simulated solar irradiation. Results illustrate that the synthesized TiO2 exhibits visible light activity at higher calcination temperature. Crystallinity and surface area plays a vital role in the overall performance of the prepared TiO2 photocatalyst. (C) 2017 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.