Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 prepared at low temperature by a photo-assisted sol-gel method

TiO2 nanocrystals were prepared by a photo-assisted sol-gel process in which tetrabutoxide titanate was hydrolyzed in acidic medium under ultraviolet irradiation. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra showed that the as-prepared TiO2 particles without further annealing were well-crystallized anatase. Such TiO2 particles were easily immobilized on dacron cloth and showed very high photocatalytic activity. In contrast, TiO2 particles were ill crystallized and showed lower activity when no light was introduced under otherwise equal conditions.