Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles: Facile Synthesis via Non-aqueous Precipitation and Photocatalytic Property

A facile strategy for anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle preparation was proposed via a non-aqueous precipitation method. With the aid of glacial acetic acid, tetrabutyl titanate underwent non-hydrolytic reaction in solvent ethanol. Glacial acetic acid increased polarity of Ti-O and C-O bonds of tetrabutyl titanate, and promoted non-hydrolytic de-etherization poly condensation reaction to form Ti-O-Ti bond in the solvent. After refluxing at 80 degrees C for 24 h, the Ti-O-Ti bond was rearranged to form anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with the particle size of 5 nm-20 nm and specific surface area of 169.4 m(2)/g, which exhibited good dispersion and excellent photocatalytic activity. The degradation rate against methyl orange under ultraviolet radiation for 2 h reached 99.81%, showing promising prospect in wastewater treatment process.