Abela Stephen, Farrugia Clayton, Xuereb Ryan, Lia Frederick, Zammit Edwin, Rizzo Alex, Refalo Paul, Grech Maurice
Faculty of Engineering, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta.
Econetique Ltd., Xewkija Industrial Estate, Xewkija, XWK 3000 Gozo, Malta.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 Oct 24;11(11):2823. doi: 10.3390/nano11112823.
Anodic titanium dioxide (TiO) nanotubes were found to be active photocatalysts. These photocatalysts possess a high surface area, even when supported, rendering them potential candidates for water treatment. In this work, photocatalytic surfaces were produced by anodizing commercially pure Ti plates using two different electrolyte compositions and correspondingly diverse process parameters. Changes in the physical and chemical stability as well as photocatalytic activity were studied over a fifty-two-week aging process. During this period, the nanotubular surfaces were exposed to flowing synthetic greywater, solar irradiation, and the natural environment. The physical and phase stability of the materials anodized using the organic electrolyte were found to be outstanding and no degradation or change in crystalline structure was observed. On the other hand, materials anodized in the aqueous electrolyte proved to suffer from light-induced phase transition from anatase to rutile. Surfaces synthesized in the organic electrolyte were more resistant to fouling and showed a better tendency to recover photocatalytic activity upon cleaning. In conclusion, the nanotubes produced in the organic electrolyte proved to be stable, rendering them potentially suitable for real-life applications.
阳极二氧化钛（TiO₂）纳米管被发现是活性光催化剂。这些光催化剂即使在负载时也具有高表面积，使其成为水处理的潜在候选材料。在这项工作中，通过使用两种不同的电解质组成和相应不同的工艺参数对商业纯钛板进行阳极氧化来制备光催化表面。在为期五十二周的老化过程中研究了物理和化学稳定性以及光催化活性的变化。在此期间，纳米管表面暴露于流动的合成灰水、太阳辐射和自然环境中。发现使用有机电解质进行阳极氧化的材料的物理和相稳定性非常出色，未观察到降解或晶体结构变化。另一方面，在水性电解质中进行阳极氧化的材料被证明会遭受光诱导的从锐钛矿到金红石的相变。在有机电解质中合成的表面更耐污染，并且在清洁后显示出更好的恢复光催化活性的趋势。总之，在有机电解质中制备的纳米管被证明是稳定的，使其有可能适用于实际应用。
