Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalyst Based on Nickel Titanate Nanoparticles

TiO 2 -coupled NiTiO 3 nanoparticles have been prepared by coprecipitation in aqueous medium followed by sintering. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the crystalline structure. The crystalline sizes of both TiO 2 and NiTiO 3 were estimated to be in the range of 40−50 nm. A noticeable optical absorbance in the visible range was observed by UV−vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic activities were evaluated in the degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution. The results show that the TiO 2 -coupled NiTiO 3 nanoparticles exhibit good photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation. The NiTiO 3 phase was found to be indispensable for photoabsorption and photocatalysis.