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Microstructure and photocatalytic activity of natural rutile from China for oxidation of methylene blue in water

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Summary

Natural rutile from China was found to have good photocatalytic activity for methylene blue (MB). Under UV irradiation, 50% of MB was decomposed in three hours by natural rutile, 90% in 77 hours and 100% in 119 hours. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area of natural rutile was only 0.4495 m2/g. In order to explain the decomposition of MB, rutile was characterized by XRD, FESEM and TEM, revealing a modulated structure. Crystal structural parameters are consistent with the data from JCPDS. Chemical composition approximates to Ti1.019O2. Photocatalytic properties of rutile are believed to relate to metal ionic substitution, vacancies and defects in its microstructure. Natural rutile is a practical photocatalyst, although its reaction rate is a fifth of anatase. Rutile might be effective and practical for a large-scale photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants in quiet and still waters (e.g. pools and lakes) since it is relatively cheap and widely available.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University, Beijing, P.R. China

    X.-Y. Chuan, A. H. Lu, N. Li & Y. J. Guo

  2. Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Peking University, Beijing, P.R. China

    J. Chen

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  1. X.-Y. Chuan
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  2. A. H. Lu
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  3. J. Chen
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  4. N. Li
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  5. Y. J. Guo
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Correspondence to X.-Y. Chuan.

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Correspondence: X.-Y. Chuan, School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P.R. China

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Chuan, XY., Lu, A., Chen, J. et al. Microstructure and photocatalytic activity of natural rutile from China for oxidation of methylene blue in water. Miner Petrol 93, 143–152 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-007-0226-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-007-0226-0

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