Low-temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Applications

Abstract Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) were synthesized by a surfactant-templated hydrothermal method at low temperature (75 °C) for photocatalytic applications. Investigation of structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), FT-IR and UV – vis absorption spectroscopy. The structural analysis confirmed a polycrystalline tetragonal anatase TiO2 phase with nanocrystalline structure and almost regular spherical shape. It has been found that the synthesized TiO2 NPs have an energy bandgap value between 4.42 and 4.46 eV; achieving a photodegradation efficiency of methyl orange dye of 81% to 88 % under UV visible light.