Enhanced photocatalytic performance of porous TiO2 nanobelts with phase junctions

Porous TiO2 nanobelts with rutile/anatase phase junctions are successfully prepared through a hydrothermal route and ion exchange process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were conducted to characterize the products. The photocatalytic performance of the porous nanobelts was evaluated by measuring the degradation of methyl blue under UV light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of the porous nanobelts is much superior to that of P-25 and pristine non-porous nanobelts. The excellent photocatalytic of porous nanobelts can be attributed to pores which enhanced ability in UV-light harvesting. What's more, the existence of rutile/anatase phase junction is favorable for the formation and separation of the hole-electron pair, resulting in a reduced electron-hole recombination. (C) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.