Synthesis of TiO2 mesocrystal film with enhanced photocatalytic activity

TiO2 mesocrystals can considerably enhance charge separation owing to their oriented superstructures, with fewer internal defects and porous properties providing more active sites. In this work, we prepared TiO2 mesocrystal films by a direct annealing method. The morphology and crystal phase of the film were controlled by adjusting the ratio of NH4F and the calcination temperature. Moreover, we found that Au nanoparticles loaded on a TiO2 mesocrystal film enabled highly efficient visible light photocatalytic properties. The photocatalytic activities were studied by hydrogen generation and photoreduction of Cr(VI). This work represents a considerable advance in the development and application of the TiO2 mesocrystals. (C) 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.