A simple sol-gel processing for the development of high-temperature stable photoactive anatase titania

A method for the preparation of anatase TiO2, which is stable to a temperature as high as 900 degrees C, without using any complex cationic dopants is presented. The synthetic procedure involves the reaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) followed by hydrolysis and sol-gel conversion to the xerogel and further calcination. The retention of the anatase phase to high temperatures can be attributed to the presence of small amounts of fluorine in the lattice, which is gradually removed between 500 and 900 degrees C as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. Samples prepared with a 1:16 TTIP/TFA composition calcined at 900 degrees C showed significantly higher photocatalytic activity compared to the control sample, standard commercial photocatalyst Degussa P25, and samples prepared using acetic acid and oxalic acid. The high-temperature anatase phase stability, determined by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, coupled with its high crystallinity, microporosity, and minimal oxygen vacancy contributes to improved photocatalytic activity.