Correlation of surface properties and photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline TiO2 on the synthesis route

Present work describes the synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO2 photocatalyst using sol-gel and solution combustion methods and their characterisation by powder X-ray Diffraction, Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, surface area measurement, FT-IR, FT-Raman, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. Their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of two nitro aromatic pollutants, viz. para-nitroaniline (PNA) & meta-dinitrobenzoic acid (DNBA) commonly observed in nitroaromatic plants. Performance of the synthesized catalysts was compared with commercial Degussa P25 sample. The photocatalytic degradation and total mineralization were monitored using UV/VIS spectrophotometer and total organic carbon content analysis respectively. The materials properties such as crystallinity and surface hydroxyl group on the nanocrystalline TiO2 played crucial role for the total mineralization of the nitroaromatics.