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Hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts with a one-dimensional heterojunction for improved photocatalytic activities

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Abstract

Hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts with a one-dimensional heterojunction were synthesized via a facile template-free hydrothermal method. The TiO2 photocatalysts were flower-like microspheres with a 3 μm diameter. The base structure of the flower-like microspheres was a uniform nanowire with a 10 nm diameter. Anatase films were evenly coated onto the surface of the rutile TiO2 nanowires to form a one-dimensional core-shell base structure. This kind of one-dimensional heterojunction is conducive to the separation of charge carriers. In addition, the hierarchical TiO2 microspheres possessed a good mesoporous structure with a high specific surface area of 260 m2/g. Thus, the light scattering and utilization efficiency were improved in this structure. The photocatalysts exhibited better performance in both photocatalytic oxidation and reduction reactions. Moreover, the novel TiO2 photocatalysts displayed excellent stability in these reactions. This kind of hierarchical TiO2 structure has never been reported in the literature. The hierarchical structure and one-dimensional heterojunction were vital to the increase in quantum efficiency. Therefore, these hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts have potential applications in the environmental and energy fields, such as in photocatalytic degradation, hydrogen production, Li-ion batteries, and dye-sensitized solar cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory for Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China

    Yingjuan Xie, Xiao Zhang, Peijun Ma, Zhijiao Wu & Lingyu Piao

  2. Department of chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yingjuan Xie

  3. Institute of Optoelectronics Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, 100044, China

    Xiao Zhang

  4. College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Peijun Ma

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  1. Yingjuan Xie
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  2. Xiao Zhang
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  4. Zhijiao Wu
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  5. Lingyu Piao
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Correspondence to Lingyu Piao.

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Xie, Y., Zhang, X., Ma, P. et al. Hierarchical TiO2 photocatalysts with a one-dimensional heterojunction for improved photocatalytic activities. Nano Res. 8, 2092–2101 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0720-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0720-3

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