Preparation and photocatalytic activity analysis of nanometer TiO2 modified by surfactant

Combining the advantages of the sol-gel method and solvothermal method, the single anatase phase of nano-titanium dioxide (TiO2) with high crystallinity had been prepared by means of the sol-solvent thermal improved process, in which butyl titanate was used as titanium source; anhydrous ethanol as solvent; concentrated nitric acid as inhibitor; and cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and nonionic surfactant polyethylene glycol (PEG) as dispersants. The analysis results of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy characterizations indicated that CTAB-modified TiO2 with the optimum ratio had the most apparent dispersibility and the highest specific surface area compared with unmodified TiO2, SDBS-modified TiO2, and PEG-modified TiO2. At the same time, the photocatalytic degradation rate of methyl orange could be improved to 99.16%. It indicated that the modification effect of CTAB was significantly better than those of SDBS and PEG, which made the nanoparticles uniformly dispersed, resulting in higher photocatalytic activity.