Department of Materials Technology and Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Lodz, Pomorska 163, 90-236 Lodz, Poland.
Department of Applied Physics, Institute of Physics-CSE, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 22 B, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Aug 13;25(16):8824. doi: 10.3390/ijms25168824.
This study aims to improve the photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide nanorods (TNRs) and other related nanostructures (dense nanorods, needle-like nanorods, nanoballs, and nanoflowers) by modifying them with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). This preparation is carried out using a two-step method: sol-gel dip-coating deposition combined with hydrothermal crystal growth. Further modification with AgNPs was achieved through the photoreduction of Ag ions under UV illumination. The investigation explores the impact of different growth factors on the morphological development of TiO nanostructures by modulating (i) the chemical composition, the water:acid ratio, (ii) the precursor concentration involved in the hydrothermal process, and (iii) the duration of the hydrothermal reaction. Morphological characteristics, including the length, diameter, and nanorod density of the nanostructures, were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The chemical states were determined through use of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique, while phase composition and crystalline structure analysis was performed using the Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) method. The results indicate that various nanostructures (dense nanorods, needle-like nanorods, nanoballs, and nanoflowers) can be obtained by modifying these parameters. The photocatalytic efficiency of these nanostructures and Ag-coated nanostructures was assessed by measuring the degradation of the organic dye rhodamine B (RhB) under both ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and visible light. The results clearly show that UV light causes the RhB solution to lose its color, whereas under visible light RhB changes into rhodamine 110, indicating a successful photocatalytic transformation. The nanoball-like structures' modification with the active metal silver (TNRs 4 Ag) exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency under both ultraviolet (UV) and visible light for different chemical composition parameters. The nanorod structure (TNRs 2 Ag) is more efficient under UV, but under visible-light photocatalyst, the TNRs 6 Ag (dense nanorods) sample is more effective.
本研究旨在通过在钛纳米棒（TNRs）及其他相关纳米结构（致密纳米棒、针状纳米棒、纳米球和纳米花）表面修饰银纳米粒子（AgNPs）来改善其光催化性能。该制备采用两步法：溶胶-凝胶浸涂沉积与水热晶体生长相结合。通过在紫外光照射下光还原 Ag 离子进一步对 AgNPs 进行修饰。该研究通过调节（i）化学组成、水：酸比，（ii）水热过程中涉及的前体浓度，以及（iii）水热反应时间，探讨了不同生长因素对 TiO 纳米结构形态发育的影响。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）分析了纳米结构的形貌特征，包括纳米结构的长度、直径和纳米棒密度。使用 X 射线光电子能谱（XPS）技术确定了化学状态，而使用掠入射 X 射线衍射（GIXRD）方法进行了物相组成和晶体结构分析。结果表明，通过改变这些参数可以获得各种纳米结构（致密纳米棒、针状纳米棒、纳米球和纳米花）。通过测量有机染料罗丹明 B（RhB）在紫外（UV）照射和可见光下的降解，评估了这些纳米结构和 Ag 涂层纳米结构的光催化效率。结果清楚地表明，紫外光使 RhB 溶液失去颜色，而在可见光下 RhB 转变为罗丹明 110，表明成功地进行了光催化转化。不同化学组成参数下，对具有活性金属银的纳米球状结构（TNRs 4Ag）进行修饰，在紫外（UV）和可见光下均表现出高的光催化效率。TNRs 2Ag（纳米棒结构）在 UV 下效率更高，而在可见光下光催化剂，TNRs 6Ag（致密纳米棒）样品更有效。
