Unexpected Link between the Template Purification Solvent and the Structure of Titanium Dioxide Hollow Spheres

Carbon spheres were applied as templates to synthesize titanium dioxide hollow spheres. The templates were purified with either ethanol or acetone, and the effects of this treatment on the properties of the resulting titania were investigated. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts was measured via the decomposition of phenol model pollutant under visible light irradiation. It was found that the solvent used for the purification of the carbon spheres had a surprisingly large impact on the crystal phase composition, morphology, and photocatalytic activity. Using ethanol resulted in a predominantly rutile phase titanium dioxide with regular morphology and higher photocatalytic activity (r(0,phenol) = 3.9 x 10(-9) M center dot s(-1)) than that containing mainly anatase phase prepared using acetone (r(0,phenol) = 1.2 x 10(-9) M center dot s(-1)), surpassing the photocatalytic activity of all investigated references. Based on infrared spectroscopy measurements, it was found that the carbon sphere templates had different surface properties that could result in the appearance of carbonate species in the titania lattice. The presence or absence of these species was found to be the determining factor in the development of the titania's properties.

Automated summary

The study revealed that the purification of carbon spheres using ethanol or acetone had a significant impact on the crystal phase composition, morphology, and photocatalytic activity of the resulting titanium dioxide. Particularly, the use of ethanol purification led to a predominantly rutile phase titanium dioxide with regular morphology and higher photocatalytic activity.