Hydrothermal synthesis of mesostructured nanocrystalline TiO2 in an ionic liquid–water mixture and its photocatalytic performance

Anatase mesostructured TiO2 nanocrystalline was prepared in a mixture of 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIM+BF4−) ionic liquid and water by a low temperature hydrothermal method. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N2 adsorption–desorption. The existence of BMIM+BF4− enhanced the polycondensation and crystallization rate, which encouraged the formation of anatase crystal. The TiO2 particles were thermally very stable and thus resistant to anatase-rutile phase transformation during calcination at high temperatures. The anatase TiO2 showed high photocatalytic activity in the degradation of p-chlorophenol than that of the commercially available TiO2, Degussa P25. After 2 h reaction under the UV-irradiation of 250 W, the removing rate of p-chlorophenol was up to 96.3%.

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