Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous ZnTiO3 rods via a polyvinylpyrrolidone assisted sol-gel method

Mesoporous ZnTiO3 rods were fabricated via a polyvinylpyrrolidone assisted sol-gel method. In this method, the control of nanostructure growth was achieved by the cooperative assembly among precursors and polyvinylpyrrolidone, through which well-designed one-dimensional morphology and mesoporosity could be obtained. The regularity of rod-like morphologies was sensitive to cooperative assembly temperature. Furthermore, the mesoporous ZnTiO3 rods were used for photodegradation of organic dyes and proved to be useful photocatalysts with excellent reusability thanks to the well-designed nanostructure and one-dimensional structure. Hence mesoporous ZnTiO3 rods with good photocatalytic activity and low cost could offer broad opportunities for environmental remediation.