Sol–gel derived mesoporous titania nanoparticles: Effects of calcination temperature and alcoholic solvent on the photocatalytic behavior

In this study, titania nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a sol–gel process, employing titanium (IV) tetraisopropoxide (Ti[OCH(CH3)2]4; TIP) as a starting precursor. Either ethanol or isopropanol was used as an alcoholic solvent. The as-synthesized mesoporous titania was calcined at different temperatures in the range of 300–700 °C. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of calcination temperature and the types of solvent on the photocatalytic behavior of titania. The results indicate that crystallinity and crystalline phase are important factors influencing the degree of photocatalytic activity of titania. It was found that the photocatalytic property of titania consisting predominantly of anatase crystallites has been markedly improved in the degradation of methylene blue under UVC light. Compared to ethanol, enhanced photocatalytic activity is obtained with isopropanol solvent through the thermal stability of anatase phase.