Hydrothermal synthesis, structure and photocatalytic property of nano-TiO2-MnO2

TiCl4 and MnSO4 (.) H2O as raw materials are hydrolyzed stiochiometrically, following the intermediate of oxide hydrating reacts at 150degreesC, 0.5 MPa in high-pressure reactor, after filtering, washing and drying, nanometric TiO2-MnO2 (Ti1-xMnxO2) is prepared. The effects of the reaction temperature and time on nanometric TiO2-MnO2 are also discussed. XRD shows that the product is TiO2-MnO2 with amorphous phase. After being sintered at above 780degreesC, it transfers into Ti1-xMnxO2 with a rutile structure. TEM shows that TiO2-MnO2 is the spherical particle. And the average diameter of the particles is 20 nm. The optical absorbance was determined by UV-265 spectrophotometer after dispersing the sample in the mixture of water and glycerol with the ratio of 1 : 1 equably. It is found that the nano-material possesses the advantages of both nano-TiO2 and nano-MnO2, and it has strong absorption in the UV and visible region. Photodegradation of dyes in an aqueous solution is investigated using nanometric TiO2-MnO2 as a photocatalyst. The results show that after 60 min illumination, the decolorization rate of the acidic red B and acidic black 234 dye can be as high as 100%.