Synthesis of photocatalytic nanosized TiO2-Ag particles with sol-gel method using reduction agent

TiO2-Ag nonoparticles were prepared with the sol-gel method using a reduction agent. The physical properties of the prepared particles were investigated by several characterization techniques. The major phase of all the prepared TiO2-Ag particles was an anatase structure regardless of the AgNO3 content. When the AgNO3 content was 2 mmol/mol of TiO2, the major phase (I 11) of silver could be clearly seen. The crystallite size of the TiO2 particles calcined at 300 degrees C was 5-6 nm and that of the Ag particles increased from 10 to 15 nm with increasing AgN03 content. The high-resolution transmission electron micrographs (HR-TEM) showed that TiO2-Ag nanoparticles possessed a spherical morphology with a narrow size distribution. The lattice fringe was 3.5 angstrom, which corresponds to the lattice spacing of (101) plane in the anatase phase. In addition, the presence of Ag in TiO2-Ag nanoparticle prepared by the sol-gel method using a reduction agent improved the photodegradation of p-nitrophenol and the photocatalytic activity of TiO2-Ag increased with the increase in the AgNO3 content. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.