Dealloying-driven synthesis of sea-urchin like titanate nanowires and hierarchically porous anatase TiO2 nanospindles with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Hydrogen titanate (H-titanate) is an important material to obtain the high performance TiO2. Here we present a facile strategy to synthesize H-titanate nanowires through dealloying method and subsequent acid treatment. By calcination or hydrothermal treatment, the H-titanate could transform into nanostructured anatase TiO2 with diverse morphologies. The hydrothermal processing gives rise to the formation of hierarchically porous anatase TiO2 nanospindles. Importantly, the spindle-like anatase TiO2 with high specific surface area (63.8 m2/g) shows enhanced photocatalytic performance for degradation of methyl orange. Our strategy is promising for synthesis of other nanostructured metal hydroxides/oxides with various morphologies/properties.