ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Synthesis of anatase nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic performance by using microfluidic method

Wu Zhang and Yanhui Hua

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang, People’s Republic of China

E-mail: neusmmzhangwu@163.com

Received: 5 December 2022  Accepted: 15 February 2023

Abstract:

Anatase nanoparticles (NPs) are physiochemically elusive during preparation due to their agglomeration-oriented behavior, which can significantly decrease their photocatalytic properties. Herein, we are proposing a microfluidic method to synthesize anatase nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic performance by using TiCl₄ and absolute ethyl alcohol–water mixture as the starting material and solvent. The preparation process is experimentally investigated by using L25(5⁶) orthogonal method. The results indicate that residence time is the key factor for particle size of anatase NPs. The as-synthesized samples are characterized by a high-resolution transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer as well as a laser particle size analyzer. The isoelectric points of the as-prepared samples range from 6 to 7, and they exhibit smaller agglomeration and higher adsorption capacity than commercial P-25. Of particular to this study is the quantitative evaluation on effects of the factors on photocatalytic activities of the samples and the interactions between the factors by using response surface methodology (RSM). The as-synthesized anatase NPs exhibit much higher photocatalytic activities than commercial P-25 and the nanostructured anatase reported in the previous literature.

Keywords: Anatase nanoparticles; Photocatalytic performance; Microfluidic method

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-023-02736-0

Chemical Papers 77 (7) 3737–3746 (2023)