Effect of Titanium Precursor on the Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2 Nano Particles in the Degradation of Terephthalic Acid

Abstract

In this study, TiO₂ nano particles were synthesized by the acid hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) and titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) at moderate conditions. The effect of the type of the titanium precursor on the properties of TiO₂ particles and consequently their performances in photocatalytic reactions were investigated. The crystal structure and shape of the particles were determined by X-ray diffraction and field emission gun scanning electron microscope analysis, respectively. N₂ adsorption desorption analysis and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis were used to define the surface and optical properties of the particles. The photocatalytic activities of the particles synthesized were tested in the degradation of terephthalic acid (TPA), waste of polymer industries, in a slurry reactor under UV-C illumination. The crystal structure of the particles synthesized was found to be rutile due to the high acidity of the reaction media. The particles consisted of nano fibers growing from a center and formed the spherical clusters in different sizes depending on the precursor used. Both precursors resulted in the formation of microporous particles with the same optical properties. The particles exhibited high photocatalytic performance in the degradation reaction of TPA and no significant difference in their performances was observed depending on the type of the precursor.