Abstract
TiO(2)/TiOF(2) nanohybrids were quickly synthesized through a hydrothermal process using titanium n-butoxide (TBOT), ethanol (C(2)H(5)OH) and hydrofluoric acid as precursors. The prepared nanohybrids underwent additional NaOH treatment (OH-TiO(2)/TiOF(2)) to enhance their photocatalytic performance. In this paper, the mechanism of NaOH affecting the pathway of transformation from TBOT (Ti precursor) to TiO(2) nanosheets was discussed. The synthesized TiO(2)/TiOF(2) and OH-TiO(2)/TiOF(2) were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), Fourier infrared spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR), Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra and UV-visible diffuse reflection spectra (UV-vis DRS). The photocatalytic activity and stability of synthesized samples were evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB) under the simulated solar light. The results showed that a larger ratio of TiO(2) to TiOF(2) in TiO(2)/TiOF(2) and OH-TiO(2)/TiOF(2) nanohybrids could allow for even higher MB conversion compared with only TiO(2) nanosheets. NaOH treatment can wash off the F ions from TiOF(2) and induce this larger ratio. The highest efficiency of MB removal was just above 90% in 1 h. Lower electron-hole pairs recombination rate is the dominant factor that induces the photocatalytic performance enhancement of TiO(2)/TiOF(2) nanohybrids. The synthesized OH-TiO(2)/TiOF(2) nanohybrids exhibit great potential in the abatement of organic pollutants.