Facile synthesis of nano-crystalline anatase TiO2 and their applications in degradation of Direct blue 199

Abstract

Nano-crystalline anatase TiO2 has been successfully synthesized by solution combustion synthesis using solid TiO2 powder as raw material. XRD patterns confirmed the formation of anatase phase of the calcined powder at 500 °C for 5 h. The bright-field TEM image revealed that the particle size was in the range of 10–25 nm, which is in nearly good agreement with the average crystallite size obtained from XRD. SEM image of the calcined TiO2 powder showed the average grain sizes in the range of 150 nm–0.5 µm and spherical in shape. XPS studies showed the presence of titanium and oxygen which confirmed the purity of the material. The obtained nanoparticles were used for photodegradation of dye Direct blue 199. TiO2 nanoparticles degraded about 99.33 % Direct blue 199 by using solar rays in 3 h. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.