Influence of TiCl4 concentration on the photocatalytic performance of nano-TiO2 synthesized by gaseous detonation

TiO2 photocatalyst is prepared via the gaseous detonation method. The structure and properties of the samples are investigated by using x-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, UV-vis spectroscopy, and Infrared spectroscopy, and the photocatalytic performance of the products is measured by methyl orange solution removal experiments under UV irradiation. Results indicate that the initial concentration of TiCl4 exerts a significant impact on the particle size of the resultant samples. The average particle size of the samples decreases significantly as the TiCl4 concentration decreases. When the TiCl4 initial concentration is 2.09 mol m(-3), the prepared sample shows the highest photocatalytic activity, an average particle size of 18.8 nm, and anatase content of 87%. Furthermore, the band gap of the sample is 3.18 eV, and its rate constant k is 0.1 min(-1). Photocatalytic activity of this sample is much higher than other products obtained in this work and slightly lower than commercial P25.