Investigation of Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2 Nanoparticles Synthesized By Sol-Gel Technique
Abstract Anatase phase TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method using titanium(IV) butoxide as a starting material. The pH of solution was maintained by adding HNO3 and NaOH. The obtained powder was heat treated at 350̊ C for 2 hours. The XRD study shows that the crystalline size and crystalinity of samples increases with pH of solution. Raman spectra confirm the dominance of anatase phase of TiO2. Morphology study of samples was done by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The size of prepared samples was calculated by XRD and confirmed by TEM analysis. The energy band gap was calculated by optical absorption spectra and it was found to decrease by increasing pH of the solution. The photodegration activity of IC dye under visible light irradiation was carried out by synthesized TiO2 Nanoparticles.