Facile fabrication of hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres with high photocatalytic activity for water purification

Hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres were synthesized by a facile approach from a one-step template method. This novel approach avoids tedious multiple steps from conventional template method for fabricating hierarchical porous and hollow microspheres. The as-prepared microspheres were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, nitrogen adsorption, and UV–vis DRS. Its photocatalytic activity was demonstrated in the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B. Structural characterization indicates that the as-prepared microspheres had a hollow interior and a hierarchical porous structure with both large and small mesopores on its surface. The average diameters and BET surface areas of the hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres were 1.5 μm and 117 m2/g, respectively. Optical adsorption investigation shows that the hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres possessed the optical band gap of 3.42 eV. A possible formation mechanism for the hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres was discussed. The hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than the commercial P25 TiO2. In addition, the as-prepared microspheres can be easily recycling for reuse. All these advantages show a bright future for this microspheric photocatalyst in environmental purification.

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► Facile synthesis of hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres.
► These TiO2 microspheres show high photocatalytic activity for wastewater purification.
► These TiO2 microspheres are easily recovered for reuse.