Low-temperature synthesis of water-dispersible anatase TiO 2 with high photoactivity

A facile method for obtaining water-dispersible and highly photoactive anatase TiO 2 was developed. TiO 2 nanocrystals with a size of 4-6 nm have been synthesized in the presence of ethylene glycol at 120°C. TiO 2 size could be tuned by varying the precursor concentration and water content. High-resolution transition electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and BET surface area test were used to characterize the synthesized TiO 2 nanoparticles. The synthesized TiO 2 was employed to the photodegradation of quinoline in water. Compared to the TiO 2 prepared by conventional sol-gel method, the as-synthesized TiO 2 showed higher photocatalytic activity. Mechanisms for the formation of the water-dispersible TiO 2 nanoparticles and its corresponding high photoactivity were discussed.