Photodegradation of Congo Red catalyzed by nanosized TiO2

Anatase TiO2 is a superior photocatalyst to rutile TiO2 due to the inherent difference in the two crystal structures. Anatase TiO2 nanorods with predominantly (1 0 1) surface exhibited low activity because the non-dissociative adsorption of H2O to this surface retarded the generation of OH radicals required for facile photocatalytic oxidation. TiO2 nanocrystal shapes significantly affected their photocatalytic activities.