Viable Method for the Synthesis of Biphasic TiO2 Nanocrystals with Tunable Phase Composition and Enabled Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance

Here we demonstrate a facile method to synthesize high-surface-area TiO2 nanoparticles in aqueous-ethanol system with tunable brookite/rutile and brookite/anatase ratio possessing high surface area that exhibits enhanced photoactivity. Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is used as the metal precursor of choice and the tuning of phase compositions are achieved by varying the water:ethanol ratio, used as mixed solvent system. The synthesized samples were characterized in detail using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), BET nitrogen sorption measurements, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS). The photocatalytic activity of biphasic TiO2 nanocrystals was evaluated by following the degradation kinetics of rhodamine-B dye in aqueous solution and under visible light. Mixed-phase TiO2 nanostructures composing 83% brookite and 17% of rutile exhibited superior photoactivity when compared to Degussa P25 and phase-pure anatase nanocrystals. The exceptional photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanostructures can be elucidated on the account of their large surface area and biphasic composition. On the basis of the detailed investigation reported herein, we conclude that tuning the ethanol volume in the mixed-solvent reaction system holds the key to tailor and control the final TiO2 phase obtained.