Preparation of Ag-modified nano-titanium and their photocatalytic activity

Photodeposition of metal Ag on TiO2 surface is used to enhance its photoactivity under visible light. Pure nano-TiO2 was prepared by hydrothermal method at 120 degrees C and pH = 9, and tetra butyl titanate and absolute ethanol as starting materials. Different amounts of Ag deposited in TiO2 surface. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic activity of samples was determined by degradation of methylene blue aqueous solution. Also, photodegradation was carried out with Ag-modified TiO2 exhibits higher photodegradation rate than pure nano-TiO2 under a maximum wavelength of 577 nm mercury lamp. Moreover, the samples with 0.75 wt.% Ag addition show the highest photocatalytic activity, which is 1.4 times higher than pure TiO2.