Photocatalytic activity of titania hollow spheres: Photodecomposition of methylene blue as a target molecule

The submicrometers-sized titania hollow spheres have been synthesized by employing sulfonated-polystyrene latex particles as a template in sol-gel method. The hollow spheres have relatively smooth surface and dense arrangement of titanium dioxide layers. Photocatalytic activity of the hollow spheres was investigated by employing methylene blue (MB) as a target compound. It was observed that the particle size, size distribution, and crystallinity are important factors to get high photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of MB. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.