Synthesis and characterization of nano titania powder with high photoactivity for gas-phase photo-oxidation of benzene from TiOCl2 aqueous solution at low temperatures

Nano rutile, anatase, and bicrystalline (anatase + brookite) titania powders with an average crystal size of below 10 nm are prepared from aqueous TiOCl2 solution at low temperatures by adjusting pH values of the starting solution and adding different additives. Adding a small amount of octyl phenol poly(ethylene oxide) into aqueous TiOCl2 solution leads to the change of particle morphologies of obtained nano titania from needlelike to nano spherical rutile crystals. Amorphous - anatase transformation of titania could proceed in liquid-solid reaction at low temperatures, even at room temperature. A formation mechanism of rutile, anatase, and brookite titania was proposed. It is found that H+ or H3O+ plays a catalytic role in the phase transformation from amorphous to anatase titania and that the presence of a small amount of SO42- ion is unfavorable to the formation of both rutile and brookite. By carefully adjusting preparation conditions, nano pure anatase with higher surface area, good crystallinity, and a lower recombination rate of photoexcited electrons and holes was obtained. This nano pure anatase showed a very good photocatalytic activity for gas-phase photo-oxidation of benzene.