Glycine-assisted synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 nanostructures with improved photocatalytic activity

Glycine modified TiO2 nanostructures (G-TiO2) were synthesized by a simple glycine-assisted hydrothermal post-treatment of titanate nanotubes. The as-prepared products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N2 adsorption–desorption measurement. The results showed that G-TiO2 nanostructures were anatase crystalline phase and were composed of lots of nanorods and nanoparticles with small diameters. Nitrogen sorption analysis revealed that the obtained G-TiO2 nanostructures exhibited a big pore size. Moreover, the products expressed high photocatalytic performance for degradation of Naphthol Blue Black.