The influence of the anatase nanoparticles boundaries on the titania activity performance

Journal of Catalysis, Volume 309, January 2014, Pages 97-104.

Sedat Yurdakal, Vincenzo Augugliaro, Jesús Sanz, Javier Soria, Isabel Sobrados, María José Torralvo 

Kimya Bölümü, Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi, Ahmet Necdet Sezer Kampüsü, 03100 Afyonkarahisar, Turkey and

“Schiavello-Grillone” Photocatalysis Group, Dipartimento di Energia, ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli matematici (DEIM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy and

Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales, CSIC, C/Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain and

Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica, CSIC, C/Marie Curie 2, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain and

Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

 

Abstract

 

Metal oxides structures, formed by ordered self-assembling of crystalline nanoparticles aggregates, are attracting growing attention in fields such as catalysis or solar cells. The properties of these structures are influenced not only by their morphology and nanoparticles composition but also by the assembled particles boundaries. In order to determine the influence of these boundaries on the structures properties, the present investigation has been devoted to study the characteristics of anatase nanoparticles boundaries in titania aggregates prepared by TiCl4 hydrolysis at low temperature. Proton magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance and high resolution transmission electron microscopy show that these samples mainly contain amorphous TiO2 strongly bound to specific faces of anatase particles. This amorphous titania-mediated attachment induces the ordered self-assembling of the anatase particles, with favored formation of mesopores in the nanoparticles boundaries. Photocatalytic degradation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol in water, test reaction used as a method to get information on the boundaries properties, indicates that the mesoporous amorphous TiO2 offers active sites for the alcohol catalytic partial oxidation, but it strongly hampers inter-particles electron transfer. These effects, characteristic of amorphous oxide chain morphology, can be expected when low dispersed dopants or promoters are incorporated to metal oxides.

Go To Journal

 

Check Also

Computational Insights into High-Pressure Equilibria of Supercritical Gases in Ammonia - Advances in Engineering

Computational Insights into High-Pressure Equilibria of Supercritical Gases in Ammonia