Chain-network anatase/TiO 2 (B) thin film with improved photocatalytic efficiency

A 3-dimensional chain-network anatase/TiO 2 (B) was obtained via the basic hydrothermal treatment of a sandwich Ti/TiO 2 /Ti film on a glass substrate that was prepared from 16 nm anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles. The Ti film was converted to the TiO 2 (B) phase in a Teflon vessel containing a 10 M NaOH aqueous solution that was encapsulated in a stainless-steel autoclave and heated at 130 °C for 2 h. The TiO 2 (B) then served as a binder layer that enabled the formation of pearl-necklace chains made of anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles, and these chain-like structures thoroughly interpenetrated into the textured layer. Decomposition tests using methylene blue indicated that the chain-network anatase/TiO 2 (B) mixed-phase film had a photocatalytic half-life that was 0.84 and 0.69 times shorter than those of as-prepared anatase TiO 2 and P25, respectively. In addition, the intensity of the room temperature photolu...

Yin-Cheng Yen, Jing-Zhi Chen, Yu-Jung Lu, Shangjr Gwo and Kuan-Jiuh Lin

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