Ceramics-Silikáty 54 (4) 368-378 (2010)

SYNTHESIS OF MESOPOROUS TITANIA BY HOMOGENEOUS HYDROLYSIS OF TITANIA OXO-SULFATE IN THE PRESENCE OF CATIONIC AND ANIONIC SURFACTANTS

Mesoporous titania was prepared by homogeneous hydrolysis of titanium oxo-sulphate with urea in aqueous solutions in the presence of the cationic and anionic surfactants, cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), respectively. Following annealing at 600°C the structure of prepared samples was determined with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The morphology and microstructure characteristics were also obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM). Surface area (BET) and porosity were also determined. The prepared mesoporous titania samples showed considerably higher photocatalytic activity compared to reference samples prepared without surfactants and with P25 Degussa.

Keywords: Surfactant, Titania, Mesoporous, Photocatalyst