TiO2 hollow microspheres with mesoporous surface: Superior adsorption performance for dye removal

TiO2 hollow microspheres with mesoporous surface were synthesized by a facile template-assisted solvothermal reaction. The adsorption performance of TiO2 hollow microspheres for removing Methylene Blue from aqueous solution has been investigated. The comparative adsorption study indicated that adsorption capacity of Ti 02 hollow microspheres with mesoporous surface is markedly higher than that of solid microsphere. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity reached 196.83 mg/g. The kinetics of dye adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order model and the adsorbed dye could be degraded completely by the subsequent photocatalytic process. These TiO2 hollow microspheres can be considered as a low-cost alternative adsorbent for removal of organic pollutants from wastewater. 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.