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Templated synthesis of TiO2 nanotube macrostructures and their photocatalytic properties

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Abstract

Controlled synthesis of hierarchically assembled titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanostructures is important for practical applications in environmental purification and solar energy conversion. We present here the fabrication of interconnected TiO2 nanotubes as a macroscopic bulk material by using a porous carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge as a template. The basic idea is to uniformly coat an amorphous titania layer onto the CNT surface by the infiltration of a TiO2 precursor into the sponge followed by a subsequent hydrolysis process. After calcination, the CNTs are completely removed and the titania is simultaneously crystallized, which results in a porous macrostructure composed of interconnected anatase TiO2 nanotubes. The TiO2 nanotube macrostructures show comparable photocatalytic activities to commercial products (AEROXIDE TiO2 P25) for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). Moreover, the TiO2 nanotube macrostructures can be settled and separated from water within 12 h after photocatalysis, whereas P25 remains suspended in solution after weeks. Thus the TiO2 nanotube macrostructures offer the advantage of easy catalyst separation and recycle and can be a promising candidate for wastewater treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 11 Beiyitiao Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing, 100190, China

    Hongbian Li, Qiaoyu Zhou, Long Yang, Mingde Du, Jidong Shi & Ying Fang

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Yuntian Gao, Enzheng Shi & Anyuan Cao

  3. State Key Lab of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Xuchun Gui

Authors
  1. Hongbian Li
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  2. Qiaoyu Zhou
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  3. Yuntian Gao
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  4. Xuchun Gui
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  5. Long Yang
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  6. Mingde Du
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  7. Enzheng Shi
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  8. Jidong Shi
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  9. Anyuan Cao
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  10. Ying Fang
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Correspondence to Anyuan Cao or Ying Fang.

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Li, H., Zhou, Q., Gao, Y. et al. Templated synthesis of TiO2 nanotube macrostructures and their photocatalytic properties. Nano Res. 8, 900–906 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0571-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0571-3

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