Fabrication of chain-like TiO2 hollow microspheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity

TiO2 hollow microspheres (TiO2-HMSs) have attracted much attention due to their low density, high photoreactivity and easy recovery. However, fabrication of TiO2-HMSs is time-consuming and costly. In this paper, effect of H2O2 on the formation of chain-like TiO2-HMSs was studied using (NH4)2TiF6 as titanium source and urea as neutralizer through a one-pot hydrothermal reaction strategy. The prepared TiO2-HMSs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic activity of TiO2-HMSs was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of an anionic dye X3B under UV irradiation. It was found that the presence of H2O2 not only influences the nucleation, but also enhances the hollowing process of TiO2-HMSs by accelerating the “inside-outside” mass transfer. TiO2-HMSs prepared in the presence of H2O2 showed enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the synergistic effects of well crystallization and hollow structures.