title: Achieving phase transformation and structure control of crystalline anatase TiO2@C hybrids from titanium glycolate precursor and glucose molecules.
abstract: Considerable efforts have focused on functional TiO2@carbonaceous hybrid nanostructured materials (TiO2@C) to satisfy the future requirements of environmental photocatalysis and energy storage using these advanced materials. In this study, we developed a two-step solution-phase reaction to prepare hybrid TiO2@C with tuneable structure and composition from the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of glucose. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to determine the crystallite size, composition, and phase purity. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) showed that the morphology of the as-synthesized TiO2@C hybrids could be controlled by varying the amount of glucose, also acting as the carbon source. Based on the observations made with different glucose concentrations, a formation mechanism of nanoparticulate and nanoporous TiO2@C hybrids was proposed. In addition, the as-synthesized TiO2@C hybrids with different compositions and structures showed enhanced adsorption of visible light and improved dye-adsorption capacity, which supported their potential use as photocatalysts with good activity. This new synthetic approach, using a nanoprecursor, provides a simple and versatile way to prepare TiO2@C hybrids with tuneable composition, structures, and properties, and is expected to lead to a family of composites with designed properties.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Xiongchu Avenue, Wuhan 430073, PR China; School of Semiconductor and Chemical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, 567 Baekjedaero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: gchenglab@163.com.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China; School of Semiconductor and Chemical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, 567 Baekjedaero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen 518060, PR China; Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Shenzhen 518060, PR China. Electronic address: fjstadler@szu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Florian J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Stadler
keywords: Composition tailoring; Dye adsorption; Glucose; Hybrid nanostructures; Hydrothermal carbonization; Hydrothermal synthesis; Structure control; TiO(2)@C; Titanium glycolate precursor; Visible light absorption