Preparation of TiO2–BaSO4 composite microparticles and their photocatalytic activity

The controlled synthesis of titanium oxide–barium sulfate composite microparticles (TBCMs) and their photocatalytic activity were investigated. Spherical TBCMs with hollow internal cavities were obtained via multi-time composited growth. The TBCMs were composed of rutile TiO2 nanorods and BaSO4 balls. With increasing number of compositing times, the TBCMs became more compact, and their sizes gradually increased. Homogeneous TBCMs with sizes ranging from 1.5 μm to 2.0 μm were formed after eight times of compositing. The TBCMs showed pronounced mesoporosity with a very narrow pore-size distribution and large surface areas. Among the various samples produced, those obtained after 8 times of compositing exhibited the highest adsorption and photocatalytic activities. TBCM photocatalysts could thus be reused effectively for several times with high catalytic reactivity.

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• TiO2–BaSO4 composite microparticles (TBCMs) were obtained using a novel method.
• TBCMs showed pronounced mesoporosity and large surface areas.
• TBCMs exhibited the higher adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity.