Effect of different base structures on the performance of the hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts

This work studied the effect of base structure on the photocatalytic activity of hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts. The hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts assembled by different dimensional base structures were successfully synthesized via a facile and controllable way. The morphology and structure of the hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts were thoroughly analyzed by various technologies. The hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts prepared in this work have one dimensional base structure, two dimensional base structures, and three dimensional base structures, respectively. The photocatalytic activities of hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts with different dimensional base structures were evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. The results indicated that the order of the specific activity is as follows: hierarchical TiO2 with one dimensional base structure < hierarchical TiO2 with two dimensional base structures < hierarchical TiO2 with three dimensional base structures. It illustrated that the base structure of the hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts has significant influence on their photocatalytic reactivities because of their different dimensions and size. In addition, the hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activities and stabilities than that of P25. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.