Effects of different crystallization methods on photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanotubes

At present, the commonly used crystallization methods of amorphous TiO2 include heat treatment and water-assisted crystallization. However, the cost of heat treatment is high and the morphology of nanotubes is easy to be destroyed, and the crystallinity of water-assisted crystallization is low. In this work, the two treatment methods were combined for the first time, and the effects of different crystallization methods on the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanotubes were also studied in detail. The results suggested that the composite treatment did not change the crystalline phase of TiO2 nanotubes, but the water-assisted crystallization could effectively repair the morphological damage caused by high-temperature heat treatment, thus increasing the specific surface area. Photocatalytic research showed that the TiO2 nanotubes crystallized by the composite treatment exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance compared with those crystallized by the single method.