Black TiO2(B)/anatase bicrystalline TiO2–x nanofibers with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Black TiO2(B)/anatase bicrystalline TiO2–x nanofibers were synthesized from a porous titanate derivative by calcination in H2, and were characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements. Characterization results showed that no Ti3+ was present on the surface of black bicrystalline TiO2–x and oxygen vacancies were distributed in the bulk of both TiO2(B) and anatase phases. The O/Ti atom stoichiometric ratio of black bicrystalline TiO2–x was estimated to be 1.97 from the difference of mass loss between black bicrystalline TiO2–x and white bicrystalline TiO2 without oxygen vacancies. The photocatalytic activity of black bicrystalline TiO2–x was 4.2 times higher than that of white bicrystalline TiO2 and 10.5 times higher than that of anatase TiO2. The high photocatalytic activity of black bicrystalline TiO2–x was attributed to its effective separation of electrons and holes, which may be related to the effects of both bicrystalline structure and oxygen vacancies. Black bicrystalline TiO2–x also exhibited good photocatalytic activity after recycling ten times. The black bicrystalline TiO2–x nanofibers show potential for use in environmental and energy applications.

Graphical AbstractA TiO2 photocatalyst with both oxygen-vacancy doping and heterojunction structure exhibited effective separation of photoinduced carriers, resulting in improved photocatalytic performance compared with that of control samples.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide