Low-Temperature Preparation and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Anatase TiO2

Nanoanatase TiO 2 of high crystallinity was prepared by a novel simple route at a temperature of 100 °C under mild conditions. Tetrabutyl titanate was used as a titanium precursor, Acetic acid was used as an inhibitor, and diethyl ether anhydrous was used as a solvent. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), laser Raman spectroscopy (Raman), BET surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) were applied to characterize the crystallinity, morphology, surface structure, and other physicochemical properties of the nanoanatase TiO 2 . The photocatalytic activity of the prepared photocatalyst was evaluated by the photodegradation of formaldehyde in aqueous solution and compared with the commercial photocatalyst, namely, Degussa P-25. The result showed that the sample prepared at low temperature showed photocatalytic activity. The activity of the sample prepared at 120 °C was high and close to the sample calcined at 300 °C for 2 h. The degradation of formaldehyde by the highest active sample (calcined at 400 °C for 1 h) could almost achieve 100% within 80 min, which exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than Degussa P-25.