An Investigation on the effect of Sonication and Ethanol Concentration on SBET Value of TiO2 Nano particles Synthesized in Neutral Condition

The synthetic condition in the preparation of TiO2 nanocrystals prepared from Titanium tetra- n-butoxide (TTB) by using sol-gel route was optimized. The variables in this study were pH and temperature of hydrolysis reaction, ethanol concentration and reaction mixture stoichiometry, and the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on BET surface area. The prepared TiO2 powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and BET surface area analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared TiO2 powders was evaluated by using an aqueous suspension consisted of methyl orange (MO) under a 25W Hg lamp. The optimum volume ratio for the TTB: water: ethanol was 1: 4.8: 1.2 in neutral condition. Maximum photocatalytic activity was achieved by samples calcinated at 350°C having rate constant of 0.84 min-1. Sonication after calcination has improved the specific surface area from 180 to 205 m2. g -1

Keywords:

Titanium dioxide , Stoichiometry , SBET , photocatalytic activity , ultrasonic irradiation