Photocatalytic activity of pure rutile particles derived from a photo-assisted sol-gel method

Abstract

Pure rutile titania was prepared at a calcination temperature of 600 °C by using a photo-assisted sol-gel method. Compared with the traditional sol-gel method the photo-irradiation introduced into the colloid preparation process can accelerate the phase transformation from the anatase to rutile phase. Moreover, it was found that the as-prepared rutile powder samples exhibited a regular polyhedron shape and small grain size distribution. These rutile particles showed a remarkable photocatalytic activity in decomposing organic pollutants under ultraviolet irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation rates of rutile particles in aqueous solution were correlative with not only the grain surface area but also the particle agglomeration state.