Room temperature synthesized rutile TiO2 nanoparticles induced by laser ablation in liquid and their photocatalytic activity

TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by one-step pulsed laser ablation of a titanium target immersed in a poly-(vinylpyrrolidone) solution at room temperature. The products were systematically characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the rutile TiO2 nanocrystalline particles were one-step synthesized at room temperature and the mean size in diameter is about 50 nm with a narrow size distribution. A probable formation process was proposed on the basis of the microstructure and the instantaneous plasma plume induced by the laser. Photocatalytic activity was monitored by degradation of a methylene blue solution. The as-prepared rutile TiO2 nanoparticles demonstrate a good photocatalytic performance. This work shows that pulsed laser ablation in liquid media is a good method to synthesize some nanosized materials which are difficult to produce by other conventional methods.