TiO2 nanoparticles with high ability for selective adsorption and photodegradation of textile dyes under visible light by feasible preparation

Particular TiO2 nanoparticles with high selective photocatalytic oxidation of anionic dyes are prepared by a feasible hydrothermal method. Moreover, its photocatalytic selectivity can be easily switched to cationic dyes by a simple post-treatment in ammonia solution, which makes the prepared TiO2 have bi-directional selectivity in dye photodegradation. Based on the photocatalytic performances and the structure and surface characteristics of the catalyst, the bi-directional selectivity of the catalysts is found to be closely related to the adsorption selectivity. The adsorption selectivity originates from surface charge groups, which are introduced during the preparation and post-treatment progresses. This study provides a facile and economical approach towards selective degradation of dyes with high efficiency by the special TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method, which may be used practically in the future. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.