Polyol-assisted synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles in a semi-aqueous solvent

TiO2 (anatase and rutile) nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 20–40 nm have been prepared at room temperature by polyol-mediated synthesis technique in a semi-aqueous solvent medium using titanium iso-propoxide as the titanium source, acetone as the oil phase and ethylene glycol as the stabilizer. Phase and microstructure of the resultant materials have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Photocatalytic degradation of acetaldehyde using TiO2 nanoparticles was investigated by gas-chromatography technique.