Fabrication of TiO2 photocatalysts by oxidative annealing of TiC

• Published in: Journal of materials science letters Vol. 22; no. 17; pp. 1209 - 1211
• Main Authors: CHOI, Y, UMEBAYASHI, T, YAMAMOTO, S, TANAKA, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Kluwer Academic Publishers 01-09-2003
• Subjects: Chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Photochemistry; Physical chemistry of induced reactions (with radiations, particles and ultrasonics); Titanium Carbides; Transition metal Compounds; Photocatalysis; Preparation; Photoelectron spectrometry; Decomposition; X ray; X ray diffraction; Methylene blue; Titanium Oxides
• ISSN: 0261-8028
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1025396416772

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been used in many products and applications because it has long-term stability, no toxicity and a broad functionality. Since the discovery of photoinduced water decomposition on the TiO2 electrodes under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation [`it, this oxide has been received much attention as a photocatalytic material. Recently, these photocatalysts have been utilized for the decomposition of pollutants in air or water. The TiO2 photocatalysts have been fabricated by various methods, for example, the sol-gel method, vacuum deposition and oxidative annealing of a titanium compound. The method of the oxidative annealing of the titanium compounds has provided some valuable insight into the properties of TiO2. Recently, N-doped and S-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized by oxidative annealing of TiN and TiS2, respectively. Doping with these non- metal atoms shifted the optical absorption edge of TiO2 to lower energies, thereby increasing the photocatalytic activities in the visible region. It is expected, therefore, that TiO2 synthesized by the annealing of titanium carbide (TiC) will possess some useful properties as a photocatalyst. In this study, TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by high-temperature oxidation of TiC powders at 623-1073 K in air, and the structural and photocatalytic properties of the samples were subsequently investigated.